“The government has announced plans to add 15,000 to 20,000 megawatts of electricity to the national grid, reaching record production levels to meet energy demand,” Sudani said at the inauguration of the Baghdad International Fair.
Despite its vast oil and gas reserves, Iraq suffers from chronic electricity shortages. In July, the Iraqi electricity ministry spokesperson told Rudaw that the country’s power system produces 27,450 megawatts of electricity, but the required load is 48,000 megawatts.
Sudani has repeatedly described improving the country’s energy sector as one of the main priorities of his cabinet, stating on multiple occasions that Baghdad seeks to achieve self-sufficiency in gas and end the import of the natural resource within the next few years.
“Renewable and clean energy projects, previously linked to discussions and statements, and now being actively implemented,” he told the fair.
For years, Iraq’s electrical grid has depended on gas imports from Iran to run its power plants. The country lost nearly 5,000 megawatts of power in July 2023 due to Iran completely halting the supply of gas to the southern regions of Iraq, as well as decreasing exports to Baghdad and other central provinces.
On Wednesday, the head of the Iraqi parliament’s electricity and energy committee blamed the electricity ministry as partially responsible for the lack of power in the country, saying that work in the electricity sector is “very slow” and power wastage is high.
