Explosion causes power outage in Kirkuk

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity said on Wednesday that a major power line in Kirkuk governorate was out of service after an act of “sabotage,” with an explosive device detonating near two electricity pylons.

A statement from the ministry said that an explosive device detonated close to two pylons in the Kirkuk village of al-Awadia, which led to a power outage in parts of Kirkuk and Salahaddin.

Electricity provision is a problem across Iraq, particularly in the summer months. 

Power lines are frequently subjected to attacks, usually blamed on the Islamic State (ISIS). 

On Friday, electricity spokesperson Ahmed Musa told Rudaw English that power lines supplying Diyala and Nineveh have recently been targeted by explosive devices. 

According to Musa, Mirsad-Diyala power line, which comes from Iran, was hit by explosive devices earlier in June, affecting Baghdad and the northern governorates. 

A similar incident occurred in March.  

"Since the Mirsad line is often targeted, we asked the Iraqi government to secure the line and operate drones, or set up thermal surveillance cameras, because the interruption of these lines negatively affects the processing hours,” Musa said.

On Friday, a power line serving eastern Mosul and the Mosul dam was out of service due to another explosion, he added.

Iraq has long suffered from chronic outages and electricity shortages. Such shortages have in past years been a rallying call for protesters, most notably in the summer of 2018.