Iraq’s electricity supply drops by 5.5GW after a 15-day pause in gas deliveries from Iran
Iraq’s electricity supply has dropped by 5,500 megawatts because Iran has temporarily stopped sending gas for maintenance, the Ministry of Electricity said on Sunday.
Gas Supply Disruption
Gas deliveries have been disrupted for 15 days, affecting Baghdad, central provinces, and the Middle Euphrates region.
As of Sunday, only 7 million cubic meters of gas are being supplied daily, far below the agreed 25 million cubic meters. The limited supply is being redirected to southern areas.
Iraq depends heavily on imported gas for its power plants, alongside local gas and other fuels. The Ministry of Electricity is taking emergency and long-term steps to manage the situation. This includes restarting delayed projects to increase power generation and stabilize electricity distribution.
The ministry is working with the Ministry of Oil to make up for the gas shortage and is also increasing efforts to develop local gas fields to reduce reliance on imports.
Citizens are being asked to save electricity until maintenance is finished and gas supplies return to normal. The ministry said the situation is “beyond its control” for now.
Meeting Iraq’s Energy Needs
Iraq’s frequent power shortages highlight the need for a long-term energy plan. The country wants to rely less on energy imports from Iran, which currently provide 40% of its electricity and gas at a cost of $4 billion per year, according to The Washington Institute.
To improve energy stability, Iraq is turning to renewable energy. Last month, QatarEnergy partnered with TotalEnergies to invest in a large solar power project in Iraq. This is part of a $27 billion initiative called the Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP), which aims to increase Iraq’s energy production.
The solar project, one of the biggest in the world, will use two million advanced solar panels and is expected to start operating between 2025 and 2027. At full capacity, it will generate up to 1.25 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power 350,000 homes in Basra. Additionally, the project will capture gas that is usually wasted from three major oilfields to use in power plants, making energy production cleaner and more efficient.
Tangent
Earlier this week, Emirates, an airline based in Dubai, stopped flights to Iraq, Lebanon, and Tel Aviv until November 30 because of growing tensions in the region.
Published: 25th November 2024
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