Iraq’s electricity investment dilemma: who takes the risk?
Politicians are bristling at contractual terms that many investors demand to help protect them from the dysfunction of Iraq’s investment climate.
Iraqi Prime Minsiter Mohammed Shia al-Sudani tours the Al-Quds power station northeast of Baghdad on May 31, 2023. (Photo credit: Prime Minister's Office)
BAGHDAD - As Iraq seeks out foreign companies to improve and expand its ailing power grid, one key contractual issue is imposing a big obstacle: neither the government nor its prospective business partners want financial responsibility for the risks arising from the country's difficult investment climate.
Power plant investors generally expect contracts with so-called "Take or Pay" clauses, which guarantee that the government will pay a certain amount regardless of how much electricity is actually taken for consumption. Such terms protect the investor in case the government fails to provide feedstock or maintain the transmission and distribution systems that connect supply with demand.
This content is for registered users. Please login to continue.
If you are not a registered user, you may purchase a subscription.
If you are not a registered user, you may purchase a subscription.
