Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq’s electricity shortage, particularly during the summer months, has reached 35,000 megawatts, forcing Baghdad to seek immediate measures that ensure a consistent supply and prevent power outages.
Turkey has emerged as a potential long-term solution to Iraq’s issue, with Ankara’s plans to boost energy exports and gas supplies while developing Iraq’s transmission infrastructure, according to Attaqa News.
Baghdad’s attempts to diversify its electrical supply sources and secure fuel for power plants, particularly those that run on gas, are taking place amid expanding regional electricity interconnection projects to bridge the gap between rising demand and available production capacity.
Iraq relies on electricity imports from neighboring nations and Iraqi Kurdistan to cover some of its demands, in addition to importing Iranian gas to run multiple power plants.
Iraq and Turkey are relying on joint energy projects to offer short- and medium-term solutions while collaborating on major initiatives to improve Iraq’s long-term energy security.
Electricity Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Turki Jiyad announced that electricity production has surpassed 24,600 megawatts. However, total demand remains between 55,000 and 60,000 megawatts, indicating a persistent shortfall of over 35,000 megawatts.
Jiyad noted that although the current electricity output has increased daily supply hours to between 10 and 12, it still falls significantly short of meeting consumers’ actual needs, especially with the high demand during the summer months.
The Iraqi government has developed a plan to raise output capacity to 35,000 megawatts by 2030. However, the initiative’s success depends on providing sufficient fuel for power plants, as well as securing funds for new projects.
