Iraq to face power cuts amid gas supply shortages

Shafaq News/ Iraq is grappling with widespread power outages due to a massive drop in gas supplies from both domestic fields and Iran, the country’s Ministry of Electricity announced on Wednesday.

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In a statement, the ministry attributed the power cuts to a loss of approximately 7,100 megawatts of electricity generation capacity. This shortfall was primarily caused by a reduction in gas supply to power plants, both from domestic fields undergoing seasonal maintenance and from Iran, which has cut its gas exports to Iraq.

“The reduction in Iranian gas supply from 30 million cubic meters per day to 23 million cubic meters has affected the production of power plants in the central region by another 1,500 megawatts,” the statement read.

The ministry cited planned maintenance on several power generation units as a contributing factor to the power shortages.

The ministry appealed to Iraqi citizens to conserve electricity during this period. “We urge citizens to understand these circumstances beyond the ministry’s control and to rationalize unnecessary consumption to control the load until maintenance work is completed,” the statement said.

Iraq has been struggling with chronic power shortages for decades, a problem exacerbated by years of war, sanctions, and underinvestment in the electricity sector. The country’s peak demand for electricity can reach up to 35-40 gigawatts, far exceeding its current generation capacity.