Iraqi PM addresses electricity shortage issue, looks for possible solutions

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday met with the Ministerial Energy Committee to discuss the current electricity shortage crisis in the country and explore possible courses of action to resolve the issue.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday met with the Ministerial Energy Committee to discuss the current electricity shortage crisis in the country and explore possible courses of action to resolve the issue.

“The meeting included an extensive discussion about the current low supply of electric power, investigated the cause of the decline and looked for ways to speed up the resolution process to reach the required demand especially in Ramadan,” a statement released by Abadi’s office read.

The capital, Baghdad, and most other provinces are witnessing power shortages amid rising temperatures coinciding with the Islamic month of Ramadan where Muslims fast from dawn until dusk.

The increase in air conditioning usage puts a substantial amount of strain on the nation’s beleaguered power infrastructure markedly during the summer months.

Massive demonstrations took place on Friday in several Iraqi cities, including Baghdad, with crowds protesting electricity shortages.

Iraqi Minister of Water Resources Hassan al-Janabi announced on Saturday the critical decline in water levels at the Mosul dam, which leads to rising temperatures and salinity of the water that have damaged the power production mechanisms in the past, prompting shutdowns.

In the meeting, “the Minister of Electricity gave a thorough explanation on the status of current power production levels and mentioned the newly operational power plants, among them the Bismayah unit, while maintenance work is still ongoing at other plants,” according to the statement on Abadi’s website.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany