On Sunday, the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity announced that the electricity supply had increased to 20 hours per day in 2023 due to the use of gas from Iraqi fields to generate energy.
The spokesperson of the Electricity Ministry, Ahmed Musa, informed the energy supply hours have increased to 20 from 13 in the same period last year, with plans to address any issues.
Musa mentioned that the low gas imports from Iran do not significantly impact the grid since some Iraqi power plants run on locally generated fuel.
The Iraqi official indicated that the Ministry of Oil still supports the Ministry of Electricity.
The spokesperson for the ministry has confirmed that many power plants in southern Iraq operate on fuel produced locally.
Iraq heavily relies on gas imports from Iran but has recently invested in many projects to take advantage of flared gas and use renewable energy to generate electricity.
Iraq must import gas from Iran to generate electricity, but US sanctions against Iran create difficulties for Baghdad in paying for the gas.
Iraq experiences daily power outages lasting up to 10 hours. The problem worsens in summer when temperatures exceed 50°C (122°F).
The frequent power outages in Iraq are mainly due to the deterioration of the infrastructure, which has not been upgraded for decades owing to conflicts, corruption, and mismanagement.
