Electricity output covers only one-third of Iraq's demand

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq needs 60,000 megawatts of electricity but is currentlyproducing only 20,000 MW after losing about 7,000 MW of generating capacity inrecent months, Electricity Minister Ali Saadi Wahib told parliament on Monday.

Independent MP Amer Abdul Jabbar said he proposed equippingthe Electricity Ministry headquarters with solar power systems through privateinvestment before expanding the model to other ministries and governmentinstitutions.

"The proposal would disconnect government institutionsfrom the national grid, helping reduce electricity consumption and easepressure on the public network," Abdul Jabbar stated to Shafaq News,noting that the Electricity Ministry had spent about 8 trillion Iraqi dinars onemployee salaries over the past three years.

Meanwhile, the member of the Badr bloc led by al-Ameri,Jaafar Al-Zamili, stated that Wahib pledged before parliament to resolve theelectricity crisis within 15 days by securing an agreement with Iran toincrease natural gas supplies to Iraqi power plants, allowing the ministry torestore 9,000 MW to the national grid. “Iraq's upcoming official visit toTurkiye will also include discussions on importing electricity and resumingnatural gas supplies from the Kurdistan Region to power stations.”

Read more: Iraq adds new power supplies from Turkiye and Kurdistan Region

The parliament hosted the Electricity Minister during itsseventh session of the sixth electoral term to discuss the deterioration of thecountry's electricity sector, with senior ministry officials also attending.

Last week, Wahib informed the parliament that completingelectricity interconnection projects with neighboring countries and reducingtransmission losses would help increase power generation and improveelectricity supply in the coming period.

Over the past weeks, the Electricity Ministry has seen majorleadership shifts. Minister Wahib replaced several distribution heads,suspended senior officials during ongoing inquiries, and sent dozens of staffmembers to the Integrity Commission for alleged corruption and neglect.

Chronic power outages remain a source of public anger inIraq, where extreme summer heat regularly tops 50°C (122°F) and forces millionsto depend on private generators. The ministry said that summer power demand nowexceeds 60,000 megawatts, leaving a shortfall of nearly 40,000 megawatts.Officials blame this massive gap on unauthorized grid tapping, alongside severenatural gas shortages caused by regional instability and disruptionssurrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Read more: Beyond 50°C: How decades of conflict are heating Iraq ...