Karbala’s winter of discontent: A power crisis grips the Holy City
Shafaq News/ As winter sets in, Karbala, one of Iraq’s most reveredcities, finds itself at the center of a suffocating electricity crisis, withresidents enduring up to five hours of power outages for every hour of supply.The situation, exacerbated by the halt of Iranian gas exports and long-standingmismanagement, has left millions grappling with the cold, inadequate heating,and unreliable access to essential resources.
Human Impact: Karbala Families Suffer
Abu Ahmed, a resident of Al-Hindiya district in Karbala, articulated thechallenges faced by the community due to limited national electricity. “Theharsh weather conditions have rendered basic activities, such as bathing,increasingly difficult, attributed to the inadequate electricity hours and theconsequent inability of water heaters to provide hot water. The struggle toobtain fuel sources such as oil and gas has compounded the situation.”
Abu Ahmed pointed out that the allocations for oil are minimal andinsufficient to meet the population’s needs, with many residents yet to receivetheir designated share. Additionally, gas availability has been inconsistent,forcing citizens to turn to the black market for these essential resources.
He called upon the local government and the Ministry of Electricity to“devise immediate solutions to address this crisis, particularly for children’sneeds, including access to warm water for bathing and the necessary heating foran effective study environment, especially with mid-year exams on the horizon.”
Provincial Challenges: Karbala’s Dire Electricity Supply
Deputy-chairman of Karbala Provincial Council, Mahfouz al-Tamimi,highlighted the electricity supply challenges faced by the province, notingthat “Karbala has experienced a persistent shortage of electricity, withcurrent supply levels at only 550 megawatts, far below the minimum requirementof 2,200 megawatts.”
He explained that “of the 550 megawatts supplied, approximately 50% isallocated to emergency projects including healthcare, water, sanitation, andessential security sites. This allocation leaves less than 250 megawattsavailable for the general population, which is particularly concerning giventhe decrease in temperatures.”
Karbala’s electricity shortage became particularly pronounced during therecent Al-Arbaeen Pilgrimage when about 20 million people from around the worldgathered in the city to mark the 40th day of mourning for the martyrdom of ImamHussein bin Ali, Prophet Mohammed’s grandson. Following this occasion,discussions were held between the local government and Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaal-Sudani, resulting in a special plan aimed at addressing the ongoing crisis.Unfortunately, the situation has since deteriorated rather than improved.
Al-Tamimi mentioned that “the Prime Minister had previously instructedthe Ministry of Electricity to devise a specific plan for Karbala Province.Despite the considerable time that has passed since this directive,implementation has yet to occur.”
He also pointed to inequities in electricity distribution, stating that“Karbala is the most severely affected province regarding electricitydistribution.”
Residents experience one hour of supply for every five hours of cuts,whereas some provinces receive up to 20 hours of electricity supply, accordingto him, attributing this disparity to factors such as population ratios, theelectricity production capabilities of various provinces, and the uniquecharacteristics of Karbala, particularly considering the influx of visitors.Al-Tamimi emphasized the need for coordinated efforts between the Ministries ofElectricity and Oil to address the crisis effectively.
National Failures: Mismanagement and Reliance on Iranian Gas
Bassem Al-Ghribawi, a member of the Iraqi Parliamentary Oil and GasCommittee, attributed the ongoing electricity crisis to “longstandingmismanagement by successive governments and the Ministry of Electricity,”stressing the necessity of improved coordination among the relevant ministries,including electricity, oil, finance, and planning.
Al-Ghribawi criticized the reliance on Iranian gas, which is subject tointerruptions, stating, “The electricity supply in Iraq suffers when Iraniangas is cut off.” He also highlighted the impracticality of importing powerplants designed for gas when Iraq has access to crude oil, black oil, and otherderivatives that could be utilized as alternative energy sources.
To address the crisis, Al-Ghribawi revealed parliamentary initiatives,including the formation of an investigative oversight committee to monitorelectricity quota distribution among provinces. An official administrativeorder for this committee will be issued shortly.
Shafaq News Agency sought a response from Ahmed Musa, spokesperson forthe Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, regarding the current electricity crisis. Asof this writing, no response has been received. However, on December 2nd, Musaclarified that “the interruption of Iranian gas supplies is attributed tomaintenance work on their end, which is expected to last for approximately 15days.” He assured that once the maintenance is complete, the gas would besupplied according to previously agreed-upon quantities, allowing Iraqi powerplants to operate at full capacity.
Efforts and Prospects: Seeking Long-Term Solutions
Musa acknowledged the reliance on imported gas, stating that domesticproduction is insufficient to meet electricity needs. However, he expressedconfidence in the government’s commitment to addressing this issue, noting thatefforts to exploit domestic gas resources are progressing.
“Several domestic gas fields are included in the fifth licensing round,with ongoing work aimed at their exploitation. A sixth-round has also beeninitiated, although Musa cautioned that it could take 3 to 5 years to fullyutilize domestic gas to meet electricity demands.”
Since the 1990s, Iraq has relied on a scheduled power outage system dueto insufficient electricity generation, prompting citizens to depend on privategenerators to compensate for the energy shortfall. To address this gap, Iraqimports electricity and natural gas from Iran, which accounts for approximatelyone-third to 40% of its energy needs. However, the country faces challenges infacilitating these payments due to US sanctions, which restrict Iran fromreceiving payments solely for non-sanctioned goods such as food and medicine.
Simultaneously, Baghdad is pursuing electricity interconnection projectswith neighboring countries to ensure a stable energy supply withoutnecessitating fuel for operation. This is particularly important given theinstability in Iranian gas supplies, which has resulted in a loss of over 4,000megawatts for Baghdad.
The United States has urged Iraq to diminish its dependence on Iraniangas. In pursuit of alternatives, Iraq announced in August 2023 the signing of apreliminary agreement with Turkmenistan for gas imports, aiming to address partof the energy requirements for its power plants. However, despite theseefforts, Iran remains the main source of power supply for Iraq.
