Pressure is growing on Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity as lawmakers and experts demand greater accountability over the country’s worsening power crisis, which has led to a noticeable drop in electricity supply hours across all provinces during the peak summer season.
Former Parliamentary Oil and Natural Resources Committee member Basim Al-Gharibawi said Iraq’s long-running electricity problems cannot be solved without tackling corruption within the ministry. He argued that various companies and interests have controlled the sector for years, while enormous amounts of public money have been spent with little improvement in electricity production or supply.
According to Al-Gharibawi, hundreds of billions of dollars have been invested in the electricity sector over the years, yet citizens continue to face recurring power shortages every summer. He called on the government to launch a major anti-corruption campaign within the Ministry of Electricity, similar to recent actions taken in the Ministry of Oil that led to the dismissal and arrest of senior officials and the recovery of large sums of money.
He stressed that the Ministry of Electricity should be a top priority for anti-corruption efforts, arguing that the scale of waste and mismanagement in the sector has been enormous despite the lack of meaningful progress in improving electricity services.
Meanwhile, MP Duha Al-Bahadli said Parliament is expected to hold discussions on the deteriorating electricity situation. She noted that lawmakers intend to go beyond simply hearing explanations and will instead focus on identifying the causes of the decline in electricity supply, determining responsibility, and reviewing government plans to address shortages in generation, fuel supplies, transmission networks, and distribution systems.
Al-Bahadli said citizens are increasingly frustrated by the ongoing crisis, particularly as temperatures continue to rise. She called for Parliament to produce clear recommendations and decisions with specific timelines rather than repeating previous discussions that failed to deliver results.
She also emphasized the need for continued parliamentary oversight to ensure that agreed measures are implemented and that officials responsible for failures are held accountable. In her view, Iraq’s main challenge is no longer identifying the causes of the electricity crisis but finding lasting solutions and enforcing accountability.
Adding to the criticism, energy expert Adnan Al-Azzawi questioned the effectiveness of contracts awarded to American companies over the years. He said successive governments signed numerous agreements with these firms, yet the electricity crisis remains unresolved.
Al-Azzawi argued that awarding new contracts to the same companies risks repeating past mistakes. He urged the government to consider working with other international firms that have proven experience in improving electricity systems and delivering results within a reasonable timeframe.
He also pointed to the vast sums spent on electricity projects, saying the continued lack of progress raises serious questions about whether there has ever been a clear and effective strategy to solve Iraq’s energy problems. According to him, Iraq should study countries that successfully resolved electricity shortages within a few years despite having far fewer financial resources.
The growing criticism reflects increasing public frustration as Iraq faces another summer of electricity shortages. Lawmakers and experts are now calling not only for emergency measures to improve supply but also for a comprehensive review of contracts, spending, and management practices within the electricity sector to determine why decades of investment have failed to deliver reliable power to the country’s more than 40 million citizens.
