Iraq needs 48,000 megawatts to cover electricity consumption

The spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, Ahmed Musa, revealed on Monday that Iraq needs 48,000 megawatts to cover domestic electricity consumption.

Musa told Rudaw News that Iraq currently produces a little more than 27,000 megawatts, noting that the Iraqi government is working with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to boost electricity output to make up for its estimated 19,000 megawatt electricity shortage.

80 percent of Iraq’s power plants run on gas, some of which is imported from Iran on a five-year deal, providing 50 million cubic meters of gas every day, according to Musa.

The Iraqi official explained that in exchange for the fuel Baghdad sends to Iraqi Kurdistan to generate electricity, the Kurdistan region of Iraq supplies electricity to Iraq.

The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity revealed last March that it is raising electricity production by 3,000 megawatts compared to last summer to reach 27,000 megawatts.

Iraq heavily relies on gas imports from Iran but has recently invested in many projects to start taking advantage of flared gas and using renewable energy to generate electricity.

Gas imports from Iran are extremely important for Iraq to generate electricity. However, US sanctions imposed on Iran make it difficult for Baghdad to pay for the Iranian gas.

Iraq witnesses daily power outages that may last up to 10 hours, but things worsen during the scorching summer when the temperature exceeds 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).

The Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Ziyad Ali Fadel, announced in mid-March that an agreement had been signed with Siemens Energy to turn flared gas into fuel within six months.

Fadel confirmed that the agreement is part of the efforts of the Iraqi government to stop gas flaring and use it to generate electricity.