Turkey, through its Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK), will begin electricity exports to Iraq Monday, through a transmission line between the southeastern Turkish province of Şırnak's Silopi district and Zakho province of Iraq that is located within the boundaries of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

EPDK opened electricity export applications to Iraq last month, which resulted in an amendment to the power supply license with Aksa Aksen Enerji Ticareti Inc. to include supplies to other markets, i.e. Iraq, in conjunction with the Turkish domestic market.

Based on the amended license, exports of 150 megawatts (MW) to Iraq will begin on Monday and run until Nov. 1, 2021.

"Turkey, once an electricity importing country, is now exporting power to its neighbors," EPDK head Mustafa Yılmaz told Anadolu Agency (AA).

"Turkey's electricity system has enough capacity to export power to neighboring countries. Our cross-border electricity trade continues to grow, and I think this volume will increase further in 2021," Yılmaz said.

Iraq will now become the fourth electricity export destination following Bulgaria, Greece and Georgia where Turkey exported 2.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity last year.

Turkey's current installed electricity capacity reached 95,000 MW this year from which more than half was generated from renewables. Installed renewable capacity totals 49,000 MW with the addition of approximately 4,700 MW this year.

Natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and naphtha constituted 25,700 MW of installed capacity in Turkey while total coal power comprised 20,300 MW.