Jordan’s Mass Global is converting its power plants in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from simple-cycle plants to combined-cycle production, the first of its kind in Iraq.

Mass Global currently has three power plants in Kurdistan, producing 2,875MW, which is more than 90 per cent of Kurdistan’s power, according to Abdul Qader Ahmed, director of power at Mass Global, speaking to delegates at MEED’s Kurdistan Projects 2013 conference in Erbil.

The first plant to be converted is the Erbil power plant where total production will rise to 1,500MW. Turkey’s Enka is carrying out the conversion and Ahmed expects commercial production to begin in August 2014.

Mass Global is in the final stages of negotiations with the US’s GE for turbines and Switzerland’s ABB for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for the conversion of the second plant at Sulaimaniyah, which produces 1,000MW. The conversion to combined cycle will raise production capacity to 1,500MW.

The company also plans to begin talks for the conversion of the Dohuk power plant. The plant has seven operational units, producing 875MW, with another unit under construction and planned to come online in July. The last unit came online at the end of May.

The total investment in simple and combined cycle plants is $5bn. When the conversion of all three plants is completed, power generation capacity will increase to 4,500MW.