Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz inaugurated the electrical grid interconnection project between Iraq and the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) on Thursday.
During the inauguration ceremony, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman stated that the initiation of the project represents one of the initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation between the Gulf countries and Iraq in economic and social domains.
He emphasized that the electricity connection is a trend adopted by many countries due to its ability to enhance the security and stability of interconnected networks, maximize economic benefits, increase the capacity to integrate renewable energy sources, and contribute to the creation of regional and international markets for the exchange and export of electrical energy.
Prince Abdulaziz further added that the Gulf electricity interconnection network was established based on studies that confirmed the benefits that countries can reap from.
As a result, the implementation of the first phase of the project was adopted during the Muscat Summit in 1997.
“Today, all Gulf countries witness the realized benefits of this project since its operation began in 2009,” said the energy minister.