Jordan to Export Electricity to Iraq

Employees walk grounds of Dhi Qar Combined Cycle Power Plant near Iraqi city of Nasiriyah (File photo: AFP)
Employees walk grounds of Dhi Qar Combined Cycle Power Plant near Iraqi city of Nasiriyah (File photo: AFP)
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Jordan to Export Electricity to Iraq

Employees walk grounds of Dhi Qar Combined Cycle Power Plant near Iraqi city of Nasiriyah (File photo: AFP)
Employees walk grounds of Dhi Qar Combined Cycle Power Plant near Iraqi city of Nasiriyah (File photo: AFP)

Jordan signed an agreement to sell electricity to Iraq and connect the two countries' power grids, according to an official Jordanian source.

The agreement was signed via videoconferencing and attended by Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati and her Iraqi counterpart Majed Emarah.

The deal says that Jordan will provide Iraq with 1,000 gigawatt-hours per year in the first phase of the project.

Zawati said that supplying Iraq with electricity will begin after the completion of the construction of al-Risha plant in Jordan, and the establishment of the 300-km power line connecting it with the al-Qaim conversion plant in Iraq.

It will be completed within 26 months of the signing date of the contract, the Minister added.

She highlighted the importance of the Jordanian-Iraqi power grid connection, pointing out that the project enhances the stability and reliability of power networks in both countries.

It serves the intention of establishing a joint power market in the Arab world, which would promote Arab economic integration, announced Zawati.

Baghdad currently imports gas and electricity from Tehran following a US waiver allowing Iraq to import energy sources from Iran without risking sanctions.

Despite rich oil sources, Baghdad relies heavily on Iran in the field of energy and imports a third of its gas and electricity consumption. Iraq is unable to achieve energy self-sufficiency to secure the needs of its 40 million people because of a decaying infrastructure.

The US extended the waiver granted to Iraq for two additional months, an Iraqi official told AFP.

When Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi formed the government in May, Washington granted Baghdad an exemption for a period of four months.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s General Company for Passenger Transport and Delegations at the Ministry of Transport announced preliminary talks to open a new route to Egypt, via Jordan.

Local media quoted the Company’s general director, Karim Hussein, who said there is a priority to open a new route to Egypt.

Hussein said the company's financial performance was profitable between 2018 and until the first two months of 2020, when it faced many losses due to travel bans and lockdowns imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.



Gold Slips as US Bond Yields Rise, Investors Assess New Tariffs

Gold rings are displayed in a gold shop in Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand August 21, 2018. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo
Gold rings are displayed in a gold shop in Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand August 21, 2018. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo
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Gold Slips as US Bond Yields Rise, Investors Assess New Tariffs

Gold rings are displayed in a gold shop in Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand August 21, 2018. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo
Gold rings are displayed in a gold shop in Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand August 21, 2018. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo

Gold prices eased on Tuesday, weighed by higher US Treasury yields as US President Donald Trump announced new tariff proposals on trading partners, including Japan and South Korea.

Spot gold was down 0.2% at $3,328.67 per ounce, as of 1207 GMT. US gold futures fell 0.1% to $3,338.20.

The yield on benchmark US 10-year notes rose to a two-week peak, making the non-yielding bullion less attractive.

"Gold is stuck between a rock and a hard place," said UBS commodity analyst Giovanni Staunovo, Reuters reported.

"Negative for the gold price is the US decision to extend the deadline for a trade deal for many trade partners, positive for the gold price is the fact that key US trading partners in Asia might have to deal with higher tariffs in the near future, weighing on economic growth prospects."

On Monday, Trump told 14 countries that sharply higher tariffs would start on August 1, marking a new phase in the trade war he launched in April, with levies between 25% and 40%.

The new deadline was firm, Trump said, adding that he would consider extensions if countries made proposals for a trade deal.

"Reciprocal tariffs" were to be capped at 10% until July 9 to allow for negotiations, but so far, agreements have been reached only with Britain and Vietnam. In June, Washington and Beijing agreed on a framework covering tariff rates.

Meanwhile, China has warned the Trump administration against reigniting trade tensions and threatened to retaliate against nations that strike deals with the US to exclude it from their supply chains.

Trump's tariffs have stoked inflation fears, further complicating the US Federal Reserve's path to lower interest rates.

Investors await minutes of the Fed's June meeting, due on Wednesday, for more clues into the bank's policy outlook.

Spot silver fell 0.1% to $36.71 per ounce, platinum rose 0.2% to $1,372.51, and palladium rose 0.6% to $1,117.33.