Iraq plans to produce 24,000 megawatts before summer 2023
Electrical grids in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar governorate. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Ziyad Ali Fadel, said that the ministry aims to produce 24,000 megawatts before next summer, according to a statement cited by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
A parliamentary committee revealed last December that Iraq spent 81 billion USD since 2005 on the electricity sector without any significant improvement, whereas Iraqis still suffer from reduced hours of their electricity supply.
The government of former Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, had previously pledged to work on solving the electricity crisis, which worsens every summer in the oil-rich country.
“We have previous experiences in the field of energy in Basra and we hope to apply these experiences throughout Iraq,” Fadel clarified in his statement.
“Energy is one of the most serious issues and the Iraqi people greatly suffered from the electricity issue,” Fadel mentioned.
“We have an integrated plan for next summer. The plan aims to produce 24,000 megawatts,” Fadel added.
The Iraqi minister revealed that the operational value of electric energy in Iraq is 20 trillion dinars (approximately 13.75 billion USD) annually.
Fadel explained that Iraq needs 31,000 megawatts to achieve self-sufficiency.
The Electricity Minister added that solar energy project faces problems such as land allocation and the lack of cooperation of some governorates.