Iraq in talks with World Bank on loan to upgrade power grid

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Ministry of Electricity is negotiating a new loan with the World Bank aimed at rebuilding and modernizing the country's strained national power grid. The country's electricity minister said the loan would be directed at strengthening existing infrastructure rather than building from scratch. The focus of the talks is the repair and upgrade of transmission and distribution networks, which officials say would help improve electricity supply across Iraq. The grid has struggled to keep pace with rising demand, contributing to chronic power shortages. The discussions are continuing over the loan amount and the conditions for its implementation, the minister said. No further details on the size of the financing or the timeline for an agreement were immediately available.