Iraqi PM checks Electricity Ministry’s preparations for next summer
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, and the Minister of Electricity Ziyad Ali Fadel. Photo: PMO
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, visited on Wednesday the headquarters of the Ministry of Electricity in Baghdad to check its preparations for the upcoming summer.
The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity said in January that electricity supply rose to 20 hours per day in 2023, compared to 13 hours in the same period of 2022, using gas supplies from Iraqi fields to generate energy.
The ministry’s spokesperson also confirmed that many power plants, particularly in southern Iraq, operate using fuel produced in Iraq.
Iraq heavily relies on gas imports from Iran but has recently invested in many projects to start taking advantage of flared gas and using renewable energy to generate electricity.
Gas imports from Iran are extremely important for Iraq to generate electricity. However, US sanctions imposed on Iran make it difficult for Baghdad to pay for the Iranian gas.
Iraq witnesses daily power outages that may last up to 10 hours, but things worsen during the scorching summer when the temperature exceeds 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
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.