Iraq announces nationwide power outage amid ‘record' heat
While the vast majority of Iraqis rely on private generators, they often cannot power all household appliances, especially air conditioners.
BAGHDAD - Power was out across Iraq on Aug 11 as scorching summer temperatures pushed electricity grid demand to unprecedented levels, authorities said.
The outage came amid a heatwave that Iraqi meteorological services expect to last more than a week, with temperatures climbing as high as 50 deg C in parts of the country.
Mitigating the grid interruption was the fact that most households rely on private generators, acquired to compensate for daily power cuts to public electricity.
The electricity ministry said the grid suffered a 'total outage' after two transmission lines were shut down 'due to a record rise in temperatures, increased consumer demand, and increased electrical load in the provinces of Babylon and Karbala, which are experiencing an influx of millions of pilgrims' for a major Shiite Muslim religious commemoration.
The shutdown caused 'a sudden and accidental loss of more than 6,000 megawatts on the grid', the ministry added, with power plants also halting operations.
'Our teams are currently mobilised on the ground to gradually restore the grid over the next few hours,' the ministry said.
The northern Kurdistan region was spared.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
World Trump signs order extending China tariff truce by 90 days, White House says
World Trump seizes control of Washington police, deploys National Guard
Opinion Sumiko at 61: Hearing loss is linked to dementia risk. Here's what you risk by ignoring it
Business S'pore start-up among 5 global picks for Japan construction group Kajima's mentorship and funding
Business Lower-wage retail workers to receive up to 6% pay bump from Sept 1
Singapore Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43b, says deal expected to benefit consumers
Singapore ST Explains: Who owns Simba, the company that is buying M1?
Singapore Telco price undercutting expected to subside after sale of M1 to Simba: Analysts
The autonomous territory has worked to modernise its power sector and was able to provide round-the-clock state electricity to a third of its population.
Authorities later announced that power was being restored in stages in the southern provinces of Dhi Qar and Maysan, with the strategic port city of Basra expected to have electricity back by dawn on Aug 12.
Electricity shortages are a frequent complaint in Iraq, which is sometimes rocked by protests when outages worsen in the hot summer months.
'More intense'
Heatwaves in Iraq are 'more intense and more frequent' than they were in the 20th century, meteorological service spokesman Amer al-Jaberi told AFP, blaming climate change and human factors.
He said gas emissions and fumes from private generators 'contribute to the rise in temperatures', and called for the creation of a 'green belt' around Baghdad 'so the city can breathe a little'.
In July 2023, a fire at a transmission station in the south caused a widespread power outage.
While the vast majority of Iraqis rely on private generators, they often cannot power all household appliances, especially air conditioners.
Even without a nationwide blackout, Iraq's poorest endure the intense heat daily.
'It's hot, we don't have electricity, it comes on for two hours and then we can sleep a little and rest,' said Mr Haider Abbas, a 44-year-old day labourer, in his concrete-walled home on Aug 10.
Originally from the town of Al-Qassim in Babylon province, central Iraq, the father of five cannot afford an air conditioner and relies instead on an air cooler that he constantly refills with water bottles.
'When I was little, we didn't have these (high) temperatures,' he recalled. 'At 52 deg C, I can't work.'
To avoid outages during peak demand, Iraq would need to produce around 55,000 megawatts of electricity.
For the first time in August, the country's power plants reached the 28,000-megawatt threshold. AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
7 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Pentagon Golden Dome to have 4-layer defence system, slides show
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The Golden Dome missile defence system faces an ambitious 2028 deadline set by Mr Trump himself. WASHINGTON - The Trump administration's flagship Golden Dome missile defence system will include four layers - one satellite-based and three on land - with 11 short-range batteries located across the continental US, Alaska and Hawaii, according to a US government slide presentation on the project first reported by Reuters. The slides, tagged 'Go Fast, Think Big!' were presented to 3,000 defence contractors in Huntsville, Alabama, last week and reveal the unprecedented complexity of the system, which faces an ambitious 2028 deadline set by US President Donald Trump. The system is estimated to cost US$175 billion (S$224.53 billion), but the slides show uncertainties still loom over the basic architecture of the project because the number of launchers, interceptors, ground stations, and missile sites needed for the system has yet to be determined. "They have a lot of money, but they don't have a target of what it costs yet," said one US official. So far, Congress has appropriated US$25 billion for Golden Dome in Mr Trump's tax-and-spend Bill passed in July. Another US$45.3 billion is earmarked for Golden Dome in his 2026 presidential budget request. Intended as a multi-layered missile defence shield for the United States, Golden Dome draws inspiration from Israel's Iron Dome, but is significantly bigger due to the geography it will need to protect and the complexity due to the varied threats it will face. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World US trade team will meet Chinese officials in two or three months, Bessent says Singapore From survivable to liveable: The making of a green city Asia DPM Gan kicks off India visit in Mumbai as Singapore firms ink investment agreements Asia South Korea's former first lady arrested after court issues warrant, Yonhap reports Opinion Singpass use in dating apps raises difficult questions Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore Man who stalked woman blasted by judge on appeal for asking scandalous questions in court Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story According to the slides, the system architecture consists of four integrated layers: a space-based sensing and targeting layer for missile warning and tracking as well as "missile defence" and three land-based layers consisting of missile interceptors, radar arrays, and potentially lasers. One surprise was a new large missile field - seemingly in the Midwest according to a map contained in the presentation - for Next Generation Interceptors (NGI) which are made by Lockheed Martin and would be a part of the "upper layer" alongside Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) Aegis systems which are also made by Lockheed. NGI is the modernised missile for the Ground-Based Midcourse Defence (GMD) network of radars, interceptors and other equipment - currently the primary missile defence shield to protect the United States from intercontinental ballistic missiles from rogue states. The US operates GMD launch sites in southern California and Alaska. This plan would add a third site in the Midwest to counter additional threats. Other technical hurdles the slides identified included communication latency across the "kill chain" of systems. Contractors such as Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, RTX, and Boeing have a variety of missile defence systems. Notably, the slides did not mention Mr Elon Musk's SpaceX, which was part of a bid for Golden Dome contracts alongside software maker Palantir and defence systems manufacturer Anduril. The Pentagon said it is gathering information "from industry, academia, national labs, and other government agencies for support to Golden Dome" but it would be "imprudent" to release more information on a programme in these early stages. One key goal for Golden Dome is to shoot targets down during their 'boost phase,' the slow and predictable climb through the Earth's atmosphere of a missile. Rather, it seeks to field space-based interceptors that can more quickly intercept incoming missiles. The presentation highlighted that the United States "has built both interceptors and re-entry vehicles" but has never built a vehicle that can handle the heat of reentry while targeting an enemy missile. The last lines of defence dubbed the "under layer" and "Limited Area Defence" will include new radars and current systems like the Patriot missile defence system and a new "common" launcher that will launch current and future interceptors against all threat types. These modular and relocatable systems would be designed to minimise reliance on prepared sites, allowing for rapid deployment across multiple theatres. Space Force General Michael Guetlein, confirmed in July to lead the Golden Dome project, has 30 days from his July 17 confirmation to build a team, another 60 days to deliver an initial system design, and 120 days to present a full implementation plan, including satellite and ground station details, people briefed on a memo signed by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have told Reuters. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 13, 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A Ukrainian soldier keeps a lookout for Russian drones in the back of a pickup truck, in the city of Kostyantynivka, Ukraine. Ukraine fights Russian grab for more territory Small bands of Russian soldiers thrust deeper into eastern Ukraine on Aug 12 before a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, which European leaders fear could end in peace terms imposed on an unlawfully shrunken Ukraine. In one of the most extensive incursions so far this year, Russian troops advanced near the coal-mining town of Dobropillia, part of Mr Putin's campaign to take full control of Ukraine's Donetsk region. Ukraine's military dispatched reserve troops, saying they were in difficult combat against Russian soldiers. Mr Trump's administration tempered expectations on Aug 12 for major progress towards a ceasefire, meanwhile, calling his meeting on Aug 15 with Mr Putin in Alaska a 'listening exercise'. READ MORE HERE DPM Gan kicks off India visit in Mumbai PHOTO: MDDI Kicking off his India visit aimed at deepening bilateral economic and business ties, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on Aug 12 witnessed Singapore firms inking agreements committing more than 200 billion rupees' (S$2.93 billion) worth of investments in Maharashtra state. In addition, DPM Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry, visited PSA's port operations at Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal and inaugurated CapitaLand Investment's (CLI) first data centre in Navi Mumbai – touted as being two of the more significant investments by Singapore firms in Maharashtra. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore MyRepublic customers air concerns over broadband speed after sale to StarHub Singapore Power switchboard failure led to disruption in NEL, Sengkang-Punggol LRT services: SBS Transit Singapore NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT resume service after hours-long power fault Business Ninja Van cuts 12% of Singapore workforce after 2 rounds of layoffs in 2024 Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Man who stabbed son-in-law to death in Boon Tat Street in 2017 dies of heart attack, says daughter Singapore Man who stalked woman blasted by judge on appeal for asking scandalous questions in court 'These investments underscore the growing bilateral economic partnership between Singapore and India and Singapore's confidence in India's long-term economic trajectory,' the Republic's Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Aug 12. READ MORE HERE South Korea's former first lady arrested PHOTO: EPA South Korea's former first lady, Ms Kim Keon Hee, has been arrested after a court late on Aug 12 issued a warrant to arrest her following accusations of graft that she denies, the Yonhap news agency reported. Ms Kim is South Korea's only former first lady to be arrested, joining her husband, ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, in jail as he faces trial, following his ouster in April, over a botched bid to impose martial law in December. Earlier in the day, Ms Kim, wearing a black suit, bowed as she arrived at court, but did not answer reporters' questions or make a statement. After the hearing ended she left to await the ruling at a detention centre in Seoul, the capital, in line with customary practice. READ MORE HERE Perplexity makes bold $44b bid for Google's Chrome PHOTO: REUTERS Perplexity AI made a US$34.5 billion (S$44.2 billion) unsolicited all-cash offer for Alphabet's Chrome browser on Aug 12, a bid far above its own valuation as the startup reaches for the browser's billions of users pivotal to the AI search race. Run by Mr Aravind Srinivas, Perplexity is no stranger to headline-grabbing offers: it made a similar one for TikTok US in January, offering to merge with the popular short-video app to resolve US concerns about TikTok's Chinese ownership. OpenAI, Yahoo and private-equity firm Apollo Global Management have also expressed interest in Chrome as regulatory pressure threatens Google's grip on the industry. READ MORE HERE Duplantis breaks pole vault world record for 13th time PHOTO: AFP Sweden's Armand Duplantis broke his own pole vault world record with a clearance of 6.29m at the Hungarian Grand Prix meeting in Budapest on Aug 12, the 13th time he has set a new world-best mark. The double-Olympic champion continued his tradition of improving on his previous mark by one centimetre, with his second attempt at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial overhauling the record he set in Stockholm in June. Duplantis had looked a little off his best form, missing his first attempt at 6.11, and after Greece's Emmanouil Karalis retired after failing twice at the same height the Swede had the bar raised to make his usual world record attempt.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
US trade team will meet Chinese officials in two or three months, Bessent says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attends a press conference at government quarters Rosenbad after the trade talks between the U.S. and China concluded, in Stockholm, Sweden, July 29, 2025. Magnus Lejhall/TT News Agency/via REUTERS/File Photo WASHINGTON - U.S. trade officials will meet again with their Chinese counterparts within the next two or three months to discuss the future of the economic relationship between the two countries, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday. The comments come a day after the trading partners extended a tariff truce for another 90 days, staving off triple-digit duties on each other's goods. In an interview on Fox Business Network's "Kudlow," Bessent also said Chinese President Xi Jinping had invited Trump to a meeting, but one had not been scheduled. "There's no date," Bessent said. "The president hasn't accepted yet." Trump told CNBC earlier this month that the U.S. and China were getting very close to a trade agreement and he would meet Xi before the end of the year if a deal was struck. Bessent also said on Fox Business that the U.S. will need to see "months, if not quarters, if not a year" of progress on fentanyl flows before it considers reducing tariffs on China. Washington accuses Beijing of failing to curb the flow of precursor chemicals for fentanyl, a leading cause of U.S. overdose deaths. Beijing has defended its drug control record and accused Washington of using fentanyl to "blackmail" China. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore MyRepublic customers air concerns over broadband speed after sale to StarHub Singapore Power switchboard failure led to disruption in NEL, Sengkang-Punggol LRT services: SBS Transit Singapore NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT resume service after hours-long power fault Business Ninja Van cuts 12% of Singapore workforce after 2 rounds of layoffs in 2024 Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Man who stabbed son-in-law to death in Boon Tat Street in 2017 dies of heart attack, says daughter Singapore Man who stalked woman blasted by judge on appeal for asking scandalous questions in court Trump imposed 20% tariffs on Chinese imports over the issue in February, and they have remained in effect despite a fragile trade truce reached by both sides in Geneva in May. An additional 10% base tariff has also been imposed on Chinese imports. REUTERS
