At least 65 firms interested in Iraq power deals

BAGHDAD, Nov 1 (Reuters) - At least 65 Iraqi and foreign companies have expressed interest in contracts to install 24 gas turbines in seven locations around Iraq, a deputy electricity minister said on Sunday.

The large response from companies came after the ministry held a conference last month in Iraqi Kurdistan to unveil its plans to boost power output by 3,870 megawatts to help end chronic power shortages in the war-battered country.

The contracts, worth roughly $350,000 per installed megawatt, cover turbines being purchased from GE (GE.N) and Siemens SIE.DE.

A short list of qualified companies will be announced within a month, Haris said.

Among the companies expressing interest are Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries (009540.KS), Swiss engineering group ABB AG (ABBN.VX), Canada's SNC-Lavalin Group Inc (SNC.TO) and Russia's Energomash.

Other interested companies are from Turkey, India and Middle Eastern countries, Deputy Electricity Minister Raad al-Haris told Reuters.

"We did not expect such a number of companies," said Haris.

Sporadic power supply is one of the chief complaints of Iraqis 6-1/2 years after the U.S.-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein. (Reporting by Aseel Kami, Editing by Michael Christie)