Kuwait provides fuel to Iraq to overcome electricity crisis

Iraq's Electricity Ministry says it was able to increase provision of electricity to 20 hours per day in Baghdad and 12 hours per day in other provinces.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kuwait has decided to provide the Iraqi government with fuel to operate the suspended power plants in southern Iraq as protests continue across the country.

The Amir of Kuwait, Shaikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, directed the country’s Ministry of Oil to begin supplying the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity with gasoline to operate the out-of-service power stations, Kuwait-based al-Nabaa Newspaper reported on Saturday.

The Ministry of Oil announced that “a tanker loaded with 30,000 cubic liters would arrive at port Basra in southern Iraq,” noting that more shipments would arrive in the coming days, the Gulf Digital News added.

On Friday, Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity announced that Kuwait would supply it with gasoline to operate the stalled power plants.

In a statement on its website on Thursday, the Electricity Ministry said it was able to increase provision of electricity to 20 hours per day in Baghdad and 12 hours per day in other provinces.

Last week, the Ministry of Electricity revealed that Iran cut electricity supplies to Iraq due to unpaid bills. The Iranian move has exacerbated the country’s power crisis creating widespread anger and demonstrations across several provinces in southern Iraq.

Since July 8, people have taken to the streets demanding the government provides them with better services, one of those demands being better electricity.

According to the former Iraqi Parliament’s Energy Committee, the country has spent 40 billion USD on the energy sector since 2003, yet the government has not been able to provide 24-hour electricity to its people.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany