Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity and the World Bank are discussing a new loan to rebuild and optimize Iraq’s heavily strained national power grid.
Iraqi Electricity Minister Ali Saad Wahib met on Wednesday with Emmanuel Salinas Munoz, the World Bank’s Country Director for Iraq, to evaluate the status of projects carried out under the existing loan and discuss priority projects recommended for inclusion in the new loan.
According to a statement from the Electricity Ministry, the meeting focused on priority projects designed to eliminate bottlenecks in the electrical transmission system and enhance network efficiency. Additionally, the discussion included projects related to gas supplies and the electrical interconnection with Gulf countries.
Wahib indicated that it is important to fund projects that will have a positive impact on developing the power sector’s infrastructure, which would help the ministry raise system efficiency and supply levels.
Iraq’s electricity grid is experiencing a daily shortage of over 35,000 megawatts due to restricted fuel availability for power plants and a reduction in some external supply sources. In early August, output was barely 24,600 megawatts.
Demand in the summer fluctuates between 55,000 and 60,000 megawatts, exacerbating the supply imbalance and causing continued operational issues for the system. Production levels rely on gas supplies from Iran, which stand at around 20 million cubic meters per day.
The Iraqi government is counting on both maintaining current capacity and implementing new generating projects to assure a more steady supply during peak summer demand and prevent power outages.
