IBBC Member Siemens aiming to provide electricity for 300,000 Iraqis in three months says CEO

The German conglomerate and IBBC member Siemens is aiming to build infrastructure in 3 months that would facilitate enough electricity for 300,000 people in Iraq, according to CEO Joe Keaser.

Siemens met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi in Baghdad this weekend to discuss a proposal to substantially augment power supply in Iraq as well as contributing to the economic development of the country.

Siemens said it was ready to add 11 gigawatts (GW) of power generation capacity over four years that could provide about 23 million Iraqis around the country with constant electricity. That would boost the country’s current generation capacity by almost 50 percent.

Kaeser told CNBC that Siemens was proposing plans that would convert flare gas into fuel power, and turn it into electricity, per the company’s expertise. Kaeser also added that Iraq’s efficiency rate in burning crude oil to generate electricity was lower than what the modern world is used to.

Additionally, Siemens’ proposal also includes creating tens of thousands of jobs for locals, opening a smart health clinic that could treat up to 10,000 patients per year, and funding what the company called a “School of the Future.” It will also provide $60 million worth of software to local universities to teach students new digital skills required in the workforce today, and provide technical and vocational training, starting with 1,000 young Iraqis.

(Source: CNBC)