Iraqi forces say thwarted attack on electric grid

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi interior ministry said on Wednesday that members of the security forces thwarted an attack on a power transmission line in Salahuddin province.

The ministry said the two improvised explosive devices were used to target two transmission towers part of the Qayyarah-Kirkuk power line in rural Salahuddin province.

The military's engineering teams removed the bombs and disposed of them in a controlled explosion nearby, it added, without indicating whether the power supply had been affected.

Iraq's chronically strained electric grid has repeatedly been subjected to attacks by suspected members of ISIS. Throughout 2021, dozens of transmission towers and power stations in several provinces, in operations attributed to ISIS and other groups.

Read More: Nearly 30 Iraqi electricity towers destroyed in one week, most recently in Karbala

Iraq suffers from a severe electricity shortage, despite successive governments spending vast amounts of capital on this sector since 2003.

The country remains dependent on Iranian gas and buys up to 30 million standard cubic meters per day. It also buys energy from Turkey and seeks to buy it from Saudi Arabia and other countries.

Iraq reportedly needs more than 35,000 megawatt-hours of electric energy to meet its round-the-clock demand.