Mosul races against time to restore electricity before summer heat waves

MOSUL, Iraq—Nearly 80 teams from the department of electricity embark on fixing powerlines on the eastern side of Mosul on a daily basis, but challenges mean they have so far restored barely over 50 percent of the supply to the local population.

 

This has many people concerned as the country’s hot summer season is around the corner.

“It’s been more than six months this neighborhood and Dhubat has been without national electricity.” Talal Sawaf, a Mosul resident complained. “We have heard they will bring back electricity to the district, but there isn’t electricity until now.”

 

Sawaf said private generators can only provide power up to noon.

 

“The lack of electricity is a problem for those housebound and the chores.” Sawaf said.

 

Around 100,000 people are connected to the national grid, and they need over 300 megawatts of electricity per day. But currently there is only 103 megawatts available.

 

In a bid to make up for the rest 1,300 private generators have been provided.

 

“There is no national electricity at all,” lamented Ilyas Casim, a Mosul resident. “Electricity poles have collapsed, with their cables cut. They haven’t been repaired yet.”

 

The fee for private generators is also beyond what many locals could afford, he said.

 

Months of heavy fighting between Iraqi troops and ISIS militants destroyed many powerlines and transformers.

 

The electricity department says that after four months of nonstop repairs they have fixed 600 of the 2,500 transformers that once served the city. They have also restored 700 kilometers of powerlines.

“We primarily need wire joints, especially in Nineveh province.” Mohammed Hashim, director of electricity distribution told Rudaw. “We also need some other equipment to transfer electricity so we can reconnect the network and ensure constant electricity flow to consumers.”

According to figures from the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, there are 24 power stations in the eastern half, three of which had gone out of service completely. It will cost the government about $30 million to rebuild these power stations, the ministry said in early February. 

Seventeen of the power stations have so far been repaired.