Iraq's Mersad-Diyala power line shutdown cuts electricity supply: Source
Shafaq News/ Iraq’s Mersad-Diyalapower line has stopped, causing a reduction in electricity supply hours, an informed source reported on Saturday.
The source told Shafaq News that theline supplying over 400 megawatts of electricity from Iran to Diyala “unexpectedly”shut down. He added, “The halt has reduced supply hours in various areas of theprovince.”
Last week, the Iraqi Ministry ofElectricity announced that the country lost 5,500 MW of power due to the 15-daysuspension of Iranian gas supplies for maintenance, which affected Baghdad, thecentral provinces, and the Middle Euphrates region.
Notably, Iraq has long struggledwith chronic power shortages, particularly during the scorching summer monthswhen temperatures soar to 50°C. Decades of wars and sanctions severely damagedthe nation's power infrastructure, leading to widespread blackouts.
In response, Baghdad is focusing onregional electricity interconnection projects to stabilize its grid. The Gulfinterconnection is set to add 500 megawatts to Basra, while a separate linkwith Saudi Arabia will initially supply 1,000 megawatts. These efforts arecrucial, but Iraq remains reliant on Iranian gas, which has been unstable,according to experts.
To diversify its energy sources,Iraq has signed a preliminary agreement with Turkmenistan to develop 6,000megawatts of solar power. Despite these initiatives, Iraq requires a consistentproduction rate of 35-40 thousand megawatts to ensure uninterruptedelectricity. This underscores the crucial role of regional connections andongoing energy diversification efforts.
