Former Iraqi energy minister calls for centralized workshop to overhaul power grid

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Former Energy Minister Karim Wahid has renewed his call for the al-Shytawi government to convene a centralized workshop covering the maintenance and renewal of power generation plants from early September through the end of May 2027. Wahid said the workshop should be overseen by the Prime Minister and include the Energy Ministers Committee and the Finance Minister. The former minister pressed for completing maintenance on both operating and idle plants to bring an additional 6,000 megawatts of generation capacity online. He said the electricity grid has suffered serious deterioration because maintenance programs were not implemented in previous periods, and warned that next summer will be harsher than the current one. According to the proposal, completing stalled projects could reduce the energy shortfall within 18 months without the need to build new facilities. The plan envisions four separate workshops covering generation, transmission, distribution and renewable energy, along with the installation of smart meters in the distribution network.