Iraq's Ministry of Electricity said on Thursday it had awarded a $219 million contract to South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction to install four gas turbines in Baghdad.

Laith Al-Mamury, the head of investments and contracts at the ministry, said the units will have a total generating capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) and will be installed within 18 months at the existing al-Qudus power plant in Baghdad.

Mamury said the cabinet approved the ministry's request on Wednesday to award the installation contract to the Korean company.   

Eight years after the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, Iraq's national grid still only supplies a few hours of power each day. Intermittent electricity is one of the public's top complaints.

The ministry of electricity said peak demand during the winter is around 11,500 megawatts, while supply, including both power generated in Iraq and imported from its neighbours, is around 6,700 MW.

But demand last summer -- when temperatures frequently exceeded 50 Celsius and air conditioning units ran constantly -- was estimated at around 14,000 MW and next summer is likely to exceed 15,000 MW.

The ministry of electricity is hoping to add around 1,000 MW to the grid this year. - Reuters