Fire cuts off electricity in Iraq
Electrical grids in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar governorate. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity announced on Saturday that the electricity supply was cut off throughout the country following an accidental fire at a power plant in Basra governorate in southern Iraq and an act of sabotage in Salah Al-Din governorate in northern Iraq.
A statement issued by the Iraqi ministry mentioned that the incident that took place at 12:40 p.m. in southern Iraq led to the separation of transmission lines connecting southern Iraq to the central part of the country.
The Electricity Ministry illustrated that work is underway to restore the electricity supply.
The statement elaborated that three electricity transmission towers collapsed after an act of sabotage took place in Salah Al-Din governorate.
Iraq witnesses daily power outages that may last up to 10 hours, but things worsen during the scorching summer when the temperature reaches 50 degrees Celsius.
The main reason behind the frequent power outages in Iraq is the deterioration of the infrastructure, which has not been renovated for decades due to conflicts, corruption and mismanagement.
Although Iraq is an oil-rich country, power plants in Iraq depend heavily on gas imported from Iran, which repeatedly cuts off supplies, according to AFP.
Some Iraqis resort to electricity generators, which are sometimes not sufficient to secure daily needs such as operating air conditioners.
To tackle the issue, power plants in Iraq need to produce 32,000 megawatts per day, but electricity production sometimes reaches 26,000 megawatts, according to Iraqi officials.