Iraq braces for worsening power crisis as Iranian gas supply falters

Shafaq News

08-03-2025

Shafaq News/ Iraq faces an escalating electricity crisis this summer due to its continued reliance on Iranian gas and the absence of alternative supplies, a senior lawmaker warned on Saturday.
Muhammed Abad Rabbah, head of the Parliamentary Electricity Committee, told Shafaq News that "the government, like its predecessors, has failed to secure alternative gas sources, leaving the country vulnerable."
He noted that while other nations import gas from Russia, Qatar, and Turkmenistan, Iraq remains dependent on Iran without a contingency plan. "Gas supply disruptions will persist, and Iraq is heading for an even worse summer," he added.
Compounding the issue, Parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee member Ali Saadoun Al-Lami said Iraq has no viable short-term alternative to Iranian gas, stressing that developing domestic supplies would take at least two years.
The situation worsened after US President Donald Trump revoked Iraq's waiver to import Iranian gas in February 2025, as part of new sanctions on Tehran. The exemption officially expired on March 7, cutting Iraq off from a critical energy source.
To diversify, Iraq signed a 20 million cubic meter per day gas import deal with Turkmenistan in October 2024, set to be delivered via Iran's pipeline network under a swap arrangement. However, technical complications have delayed implementation, according to the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity.