Rumaila IPP – South Nasiriyah Line Upgrade More Than Doubles Transmission Capacity, Reduces Losses, and Lowers Mechanical Loading on Existing Infrastructure
On June 15, 2026, Iraq’s General Company for Electric Power Transmission in the Southern Region successfully energized the Rumaila IPP – South Nasiriyah 400 kV transmission line following the completion of Iraq’s first 400 kV ACCC® Conductor reconductoring project.
This important milestone marks the first project of its kind within Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity using ACCC® Conductor technology at the 400 kV voltage level. It also represents a major step forward in Iraq’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the national electricity network, improve power delivery in the southern region, and make better use of existing transmission infrastructure.
The energization was carried out under the direct field supervision of Engineer Ali Zuhair Karim, Director General of the General Company for Electric Power Transmission in the Southern Region, and in the presence of Engineer Hazem Lafta, Assistant Director General for Projects. The successful completion of the project reflects the capability, commitment, and technical leadership of Iraq’s engineers, utility teams, and project partners working together to modernize one of the country’s most important transmission corridors.
A Major Upgrade on a Strategic 400 kV Corridor
The Rumaila IPP – South Nasiriyah line plays a critical role in evacuating power from the strategically important Rumaila Independent Power Plant and delivering electricity across southern Iraq. Like many high-voltage transmission systems around the world, portions of the existing line were constrained by the thermal, electrical, and mechanical limitations of conventional conductors.
Rather than building an entirely new transmission corridor, the project upgraded the existing line by replacing conventional AAAC and ACSR conductors with high-efficiency ACCC® Galveston 512.4 mm² Conductors. The project covered approximately 136 kilometers of transmission line across 292 towers, making it Iraq’s first and longest 400 kV ACCC® Conductor reconductoring project to date.
The work was executed by Soor Al-Basrah Company, also known as SABCO, with Youm Al-Worod Company also participating in the execution works, under the technical supervision and support of CTC Global. The successful energization was achieved through the exceptional efforts of the supervisory committee headed by Engineer Jalal Yasser Abbadi, with close follow-up from the Lines Department represented by Engineer Kazem Jassim Majeed, the Electrical Protection Department headed by Engineer Khalid Hameed, the Communications Division within the Projects Department, and the engineering and technical teams of the South-Western Networks.
More Than Doubling Capacity While Reducing Losses
The performance gains delivered by the ACCC® Conductor upgrade are substantial. On the ACSR 490/65 segment, current-carrying capacity increased from 1,458 amps to 3,300 amps, representing a 126 percent increase and more than 2.26 times the original capacity. Power transfer capability increased from approximately 1,010 MVA to 2,286 MVA. Based on an electricity value of USD 50 per MWh, estimated annual transmission loss savings for this segment are approximately USD 2 million.
On the AAAC 556 segment, current-carrying capacity increased from 1,463 amps to 3,300 amps, representing a 125 percent increase and more than 2.25 times the original capacity. Power transfer capability increased from approximately 1,014 MVA to 2,286 MVA, with estimated annual transmission loss savings of approximately USD 1 million at USD 50 per MWh.
Combined, the upgraded 400 kV line is expected to reduce annual transmission losses by approximately USD 3 million while substantially improving the ability of the system to move power from Rumaila IPP to load centers and other parts of the southern grid.
These results demonstrate one of the central advantages of ACCC® Conductor: the ability to significantly increase transmission capacity while also improving efficiency. In many transmission upgrades, higher capacity can come at the expense of higher losses, higher operating temperatures, greater sag, and increased stress on existing structures. ACCC® Conductor was designed to address these challenges simultaneously.
Lower Sag and Lower Mechanical Loading on Existing Structures
ACCC® Conductor uses a lightweight, high-strength composite core that is approximately 70 percent lighter than a traditional steel core. This allows the conductor to incorporate more conductive aluminum without increasing overall conductor diameter or weight. The composite core also has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion, which helps reduce thermal sag at higher operating temperatures.
For the Rumaila IPP – South Nasiriyah project, these attributes were particularly important. By replacing conventional conductors with ACCC® Galveston, the project increased capacity while lowering mechanical stresses on the existing towers and structures. Reduced conductor tension and improved sag performance allow existing assets to carry substantially more power without requiring the construction of additional towers or new rights-of-way.
This is especially important in regions where new transmission corridors can be costly, time-consuming, or difficult to permit. Reconductoring with advanced conductors offers utilities a practical way to unlock major capacity on existing lines, improve system reliability, and extend the useful life of existing infrastructure.
Supporting Iraq’s Grid Modernization Objectives
Iraq’s electric power system continues to face increasing demand, regional load growth, and the need to improve the reliability and efficiency of power delivery. Strengthening the transmission network is essential to supporting economic development, improving service reliability, and ensuring that generation resources can be fully utilized.
The upgraded Rumaila IPP – South Nasiriyah 400 kV line will directly contribute to several important grid objectives. It more than doubles the line’s power transfer capability, improves power evacuation from Rumaila IPP, reduces transmission losses, strengthens grid stability in southern Iraq, and supports future load growth without requiring new transmission corridors.
This project also demonstrates how strategic reconductoring can help address transmission bottlenecks faster than conventional grid expansion. By using existing towers, established rights-of-way, and advanced conductor technology, utilities can often deliver major capacity improvements in less time and with less disruption than traditional new-line construction.
Building on Earlier ACCC® Conductor Experience in Iraq
While this is Iraq’s first ACCC® Project at the 400 kV level, ACCC® Conductors have already been successfully deployed in Iraq for more than six years on 132 kV networks, supporting several key transmission projects across multiple regions.
That prior experience provided a strong foundation for the successful completion of the Rumaila IPP – South Nasiriyah upgrade. Moving from 132 kV applications to a major 400 kV reconductoring project reflects growing confidence in the technology and its ability to support increasingly important transmission applications.
Around the world, ACCC® Conductor has been used by utilities to increase capacity, reduce line losses, improve sag clearance, strengthen system reliability, and avoid or defer the need for new transmission structures. Iraq’s first 400 kV ACCC® Conductor project now joins that growing global portfolio of advanced conductor deployments.
A National Benchmark for Advanced Reconductoring
Engineer Ali Zuhair Karim highlighted that this achievement reflects the capability of Iraqi engineers, technical teams, and contractors to implement advanced transmission technologies while maintaining operational reliability. That point is especially important. The success of this project is not only a technology milestone; it is also a demonstration of institutional capability, field execution, and coordinated utility leadership.
As Iraq’s first and longest 400 kV ACCC® Conductor reconductoring project, the Rumaila IPP – South Nasiriyah upgrade sets a new national benchmark for transmission modernization. It shows how advanced composite core conductor technology can help utilities deliver more power through existing corridors, improve efficiency, reduce losses, and strengthen long-term grid performance.
For Iraq, the successful energization of this line represents a meaningful step toward a stronger, more efficient, and more resilient national electricity network. For the broader transmission industry, it offers another clear example of how reconductoring with advanced conductors can provide a fast, practical, and highly effective solution to one of the most urgent challenges facing power systems today: delivering more electricity, more efficiently, using the infrastructure already in place.
CTC Global congratulates the General Company for Electric Power Transmission in the Southern Region, Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity, SABCO, Youm Al-Worod Company, and all of the engineers, supervisory committees, technical teams, and field personnel whose leadership and execution made this important project possible.
