Iraq power shortfall hits 40,000 MW as summer demand outstrips supply

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq is facing its most severe electricity crisis of the summer, with the gap between supply and demand reaching about 40,000 megawatts, according to Ministry of Electricity data. Generation has remained stuck at 20,000 to 22,000 MW while peak demand has exceeded 60,000 MW, leaving the country with a deficit close to 40,000 MW. Former ministry spokesman Ahmed Musa al-Abadi said power plants have been unable to operate at full capacity since early summer because of fuel and gas shortages, and that regional conditions and a financial crisis have delayed liquefied gas platforms and interconnection lines. He added that the problem is not limited to generation, noting that transmission and distribution losses have reached 60 percent and the grid is aging. The shortfall is hitting cities unevenly. In Anbar, daily supply has stayed at 600 to 650 MW against a need of 2,700 to 3,000 MW, while Basra has seen generation fall to 3,150 MW, prompting programmed power cuts for the first time. Adiy al-Zameli, a member of parliament’s Oil and Natural Resources Committee, said the gap in domestic natural gas output has deepened reliance on imports and left transmission lines unable to keep pace with current consumption. The government has decided to support private generators with subsidized fuel for the summer, and the Oil Ministry will provide diesel to generator owners at 200 dinars per liter for three months. Residents have said that, despite higher ampere fees, outages are crippling daily life and that millions of people feel trapped in a system unable to meet their needs.