The Alstom group has announced its second project win in a week following its successful appointment to a $41.8m contract for work on Kurdistan’s electricity network.
Appointed by KAR Construction & Engineering Company – part of privately owned Iraqi company Kar Group – the contract will see Alstom Grid supply four 132/33/11 kV Air-insulated Switchgear (AIS) substations and one 132/33/11 kV Gas-insulated Switchgear (GIS) substation for the Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Electricity.
The package award also includes extensions and modifications of three existing area substations. All substations are located within the Dohuk Governorate, part of the Kurdistan Regional Authority of the Republic of Iraq. It comes after a $122m was awarded to Alstom Thermal Power by Bemco to supply the steam tail for a 2,175MW Riyadh PP12 gas-fired power plant. 
“This project represents an important milestone for Alstom Grid as we re-enter Kurdistan’s market with a complete range of products covering both air-insulated and gas-insulated switchgear solutions, critical to the infrastructure of the region’s electricity network,” commented Alstom grid president, Grégoire Poux-Guillaume.
“This project underlines our continuing efforts in Iraq, including Mosul 400/132/33kV GIS substation and Khairat & Nainawa GTTP 400/132kV exit substations won last year,” he added.
Alstom Grid’s scope of work includes engineering, equipment supply (including substation automation systems) and commissioning supervision for 132/33/11 kV Air-insulated Switchgear (AIS) substations at North Dohuk (9 bays), Zakho 2 (9 bays), Bardarash (10 bays) and Kalakchi (10 bays), 132/33/11 kV Gas-insulated Switchgear (GIS) substation at West Dohuk (10 bays), as well as extensions and modifications at Sarsang, Akre Centre and Zakho 1 substations.
The substations are planned to be commissioned in September 2013 and are part of the region’s efforts to keep pace with economic development in the Erbil, Sulaymania and Dohuk Governorates.
Alstom has previously implemented similar 132/33/11 KV substations in Erbil and Dohuk, during a 2002 project under the UNDP (United Nations Development Plan) for the rebuilding of northern Iraq.
