During the meeting, Fang welcomed Al-Waleed and his delegation’s visit again. He stated that the annual mutual visit fully displayed friendship and the solid cooperative relationship between the two sides. Thanks to the bilateral unremitting efforts, the Salah Al-Din project was ultimately completed and realized high-quality operation despite many difficulties. It is an outcome achieved due to joint cooperation. The Salah Al-Din project witnessed our 20-year-long friendship and represented a model of China-Iraq win-win cooperation.   He said, CMEC carefully planned the operation and maintenance of the Salah Al-Din project in the first year to ensure stable and safe operation of the power station. The generation unit achieved the annual target 13 days in advance, inspiring both parties’ confidence in the reliability of the power station. For the operation and maintenance work in the second year, CMEC, based on achievements made in the first year, would focus on improving the power station’s reliability and availability to ensure high-quality operation of the generation units and simultaneously strive for new progresses.

Al-Waleed expressed gratitude to CMEC’s years of support for Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity as well as General Company for Electricity Production for the Northern Region and highly praised CMEC’s dedication to the completion and operation of the Salah Al-Din Phase-I project. He pointed out that the Salah Al-Din power station had the largest single unit. Over the years, the two sides overcame various difficulties and finally established the station. The power generated in the first year greatly alleviated the long-standing serious power shortage in Iraq’s northern region, therefore, Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity decided to renew the operation and maintenance contract with CMEC and the General Company for Electricity Production for the Northern Region would also join hands with CMEC for future work.