KRG has ‘no intention’ of importing electricity from abroad: electricity ministry spokesperson

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has no intention of importing electricity from Iran or any other country, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Electricity told Rudaw English on Thursday.

Omed Ahmad said that KRG “temporarily” imports 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity from Turkey to supply Duhok province, as the main natural gas pipeline in Erbil is not connected to stations in Duhok. 

The spokesperson noted that the KRG is "totally depending" on its own natural gas produced in Kurdistan for power production.

"From 2008 to 2014, KRG was importing 15 to 20 MW from Iran, but the imports have stopped due to the financial crisis the KRG is facing, as it has failed to pay its dues to Iran.”

The ministry is raising the cost of electricity by 20 percent, Ahmad told Rudaw earlier this month.

He said on Thursday that electricity shortages during "peak seasons” are due to electricity theft, a long-standing  problem in the Kurdistan Region.  Ahmad said that the ministry will soon implement the "smart meter" project, which will control and limit energy consumption within the permissible limit without damaging generators.

In response to theft and excessive consumption that exacerbates shortages, the KRG introduced new electric meters back in 2018. However, it failed to enforce their installation or monitor their usage, with residents finding ways to manipulate the devices.

The Kurdistan Region and Iraq suffer from chronic electricity shortages and dilapidated infrastructure. The failure of successive Iraqi and Kurdish governments to alleviate the chronic shortages since the 2003 war has been a near-constant source of public anger.

The region has 14 power plants, which altogether were providing nearly 4,000 MW of power, a record high in the Kurdistan Region according to data provided by Ahmad. However, national electricity is only available an average of 10-12 hours per day, and up to 16 hours in warmer areas. After raising the power production to 6,700 MW, the number of hours that national power is available should increase.

The KRG approved a proposal in 2020 to privatize the Kurdistan Region's electricity sector, which the spokesperson claimed is close to being implemented.