ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's electricity ministry says that plans to solve the ongoing electricity shortage in the country have been submitted to the government, amid increased demand and imported gas shortages in Iraq.
"There is a plan and program that has been submitted to the government," Iraqi Electricity Minister Ali Wahib told Rudaw's Ziyad Ismail on Sunday, noting that "it requires materials and equipment."
When asked about the amount of imported gas needed, the minister said "we currently need 4,200 million cubic feet of gas [per day]."
The remarks follow Iranian gas deliveries to Iraq plunging from the contracted volume of around 50 million cubic meters per day to about 20 million, Baghdad's electricity ministry confirmed in mid-March.
The plunge was chiefly linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran, which started in late February, during which the two countries carried out strikes on the processing facilities of Iran's South Pars field, about 100 kilometers off the country's southern coast, knocking out nearly a third of Iran's gas production capacity at times.
With imported gas normally fueling up to 40 percent of Iraq's power grid, the shortfall has forced rolling blackouts, leaving major cities with as little as four to six hours of public electricity per day.
Meanwhile, UAE-based Dana Gas suspended operations in mid-July at the Khor Mor gas field near the Kurdistan Region’s eastern Sulaimani province, citing "credible threats" and regional tensions.
Because the field is the primary fuel supplier for the Region, Erbil’s electricity ministry says the shutdown has slashed the area's power capacity by about 2,500 megawatts. The shutdown has also affected the federal government, as it partially relies on gas from the field.
