Baghdad provincial council launches generator price inspection, warns of fines

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Baghdad Provincial Council has launched a wide-ranging inspection of private and public electricity generators to verify compliance with the official tariff set for July, with fines of up to 5 million dinars threatened for violators. Ali Talib al-Zarkani, head of the council's oil and energy committee, said the per-ampere-hour price for July had been lowered to 10,000 dinars from the previously set 12,000 dinars. The council attributed the reduction to a Cabinet decision allocating 45 liters of free fuel per kilovolt for July and August in response to high summer temperatures. The Cabinet directive also requires generators to operate on a rotating schedule with the national electricity grid for no fewer than 20 hours per day. Two inspection teams have been formed under a joint effort by the provincial council, its committees and local security forces — one for the Karkh side of Baghdad and another for Rusafa. According to the council, the teams will document violations and hold local administrative heads and energy committees accountable for failing to act on complaints. No further details on the number of inspections or violators identified were immediately available.