Iraq: The Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, has actively addressed the urgent electricity crisis by convening meetings with key officials from the Ministry of Electricity and the Ministry of Oil, along with a number of advisors.
The meeting was held to discuss aims to assess the current state of power production and find effective solutions for the national power grid.
According to recent information, during the meeting, a comprehensive review was conducted on the efforts to address the crisis caused by the interruption of imported Iranian gas. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani has emphasized that the national power grid and electricity crises concern the nation.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the government has successfully identified the root causes of the electricity crisis and implemented solutions at different levels: immediate, medium, and long-term. Immediate measures included maintenance projects, station completion, cooling system activation, and the implementation of power distribution enhancements.
It was also highlighted that the government’s efforts have resulted in achieving a record-breaking electricity production of 26,000 megawatts. However, the stability of this production is contingent upon the uninterrupted supply of Iranian gas.
In his remarks, PM Al Sudani emphasized that the reduction in Iranian gas supply by more than half, caused by US sanctions and non-compliance with the agreed payment mechanism in 2018, has had a detrimental impact on national power production.
Prime Minister Al-Sudani also outlined the government’s commitment to implementing its medium-term plans, which include the contracts with Total Energies and the fifth-round licensing contracts. These projects are expected to play a significant role in finding alternatives to imported gas.
Meanwhile, the reports also stressed that the Prime Minister instructed his team to provide alternative and swift solutions, including exploring the possibility of supplying private generators with fuel at no cost or nominal prices. Simultaneously, the government’s ongoing efforts to import gas from Turkmenistan and Qatar will continue to be pursued.
Furthermore, in the end, PM Al-Sudani instructed the Ministry of Oil to expedite the execution of the remaining contracts from the fifth licensing round and foster collaborations with international companies to develop energy fields.
The Prime Minister also directed the Ministry of Electricity to accelerate investments in generation and production plants and implement solar energy projects.
