Latest news with #Anbar
Asharq Al-Awsat
9 hours ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Report: Blackout Hits Central, Southern Iraq
Major oil producer Iraq began gradually restoring power on Monday, the state news agency reported citing the electricity ministry, after a power outage hit central and southern regions of the country. Electricity ministry sources had told Reuters earlier a sudden shutdown at the Hamidiya power plant in the western province of Anbar led to a fault in the electricity transmission network. The temperature in the capital Baghdad reached a high of 47 degrees Celsius on Monday. "An emergency power outage occurred this afternoon in the power transmission lines, causing widespread outages across the national electricity grid," Mohammed Nehme, electricity ministry undersecretary for production affairs, said in a statement later. "Our technical teams are currently working to address the fault and restore power. They have begun gradually restoring power, and service will be fully restored within the coming hours." The chair of Iraq's parliament energy committee said in a statement that the outage did not affect the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. Many Iraqis for years have relied on privately operated generators for power as government-provided electricity was only intermittently available. Some others have turned to solar power to help cover their electricity needs. The oil ministry could not immediately be reached for comment. The electricity ministry said it was working in "full emergency mode" to restore power, the state news agency reported. A member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and one of the world's leading oil producers, Iraq has struggled to provide its citizens with energy since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. In the ensuing turmoil, under-investment and mismanagement have left the national grid unable to cope with demand. Hundreds of Iraqis protested in Baghdad in the summer of 2021, when power and water cuts gripped large parts of the country as temperatures exceeded 50 degrees Celsius. In March, US President Donald Trump's administration rescinded a waiver that had allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity, as part of Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. Iraq is heavily dependent on Iranian natural gas imports to generate power.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Blackout hits central, southern Iraq, sources say
BAGHDAD, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Major oil producer Iraq was hit by a power outage in its central and southern regions on Monday after a shutdown at a power plant in the western province of Anbar, electricity ministry sources said. The sudden shutdown of the Hamidiya plant led to a fault in the electricity transmission network, the sources said. The temperature in the capital Baghdad reached a high of 47 degrees Celsius on Monday. The chair of Iraq's parliament energy committee told Reuters the outage did not affect the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. Many Iraqis for years have relied on privately operated generators for power as government-provided electricity was only available for a few hours a day. Some others have turned to solar power to help cover their electricity needs. The oil ministry could not immediately be reached for comment. The electricity ministry said it was working in "full emergency mode" to restore power, the state news agency reported. A member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and one of the world's leading oil producers, Iraq has struggled to provide its citizens with energy since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. In the ensuing turmoil, under-investment and mismanagement have left the national grid unable to cope with demand. Hundreds of Iraqis protested in Baghdad in the summer of 2021, when power and water cuts gripped large parts of the country as temperatures exceeded 50 degrees Celsius. In March, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration rescinded a waiver that had allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity, as part of Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. Iraq is heavily dependent on Iranian natural gas imports to generate power.
Zawya
10 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
Blackout hits central, southern Iraq, sources say
Iraq was hit by a power outage in its central and southern regions on Monday after a shutdown at a power plant in the western province of Anbar, electricity ministry sources said. The sudden shutdown of the Hamidiya plant led to a fault in the electricity transmission network, the sources said. The chair of Iraq's parliament energy committee told Reuters the outage did not affect the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. A member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and one of the world's leading oil producers, Iraq has struggled to provide its citizens with energy since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. In March, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration rescinded a waiver that had allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity, as part of Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. Iraq is heavily dependent on Iranian natural gas imports to generate power. (Reporting by Muayad Kenany and Tala Ramadan; Writing by Hatem Maher; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Arab News
10 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Blackout hits central, southern Iraq, sources say
BAGHDAD: Iraq was hit by a power outage in its central and southern regions on Monday after a shutdown at a power plant in the western province of Anbar, electricity ministry sources said. The sudden shutdown of the Hamidiya plant led to a fault in the electricity transmission network, the sources said. The chair of Iraq's parliament energy committee told Reuters the outage did not affect the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. A member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and one of the world's leading oil producers, Iraq has struggled to provide its citizens with energy since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. In March, US President Donald Trump's administration rescinded a waiver that had allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity, as part of Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign against Tehran. Iraq is heavily dependent on Iranian natural gas imports to generate power.
The National
22-07-2025
- Business
- The National
Iraq and US company Schlumberger sign deal to develop Akkas gas field
Iraq signed a major contract with US oilfield services company Schlumberger on Tuesday to develop the Akkas gas field, as the country seeks to boost domestic gas production. Under the deal, Schlumberger will drill wells at the Akkas field, aiming to raise production levels to 100 million standard cubic feet per day, the country's Oil Minister, Hayan Abdel Ghani, said after the signing ceremony. The production target from the field, in the western province of Anbar, is estimated at 400 million standard cubic feet per day, from the current 40 million level, he added, without giving a timetable. 'This is a long-awaited and big achievement,' the minister said. Additional contracts will be signed to build surface installations and lay pipelines connecting the wells to central processing units, he added. The gas produced at Akkas will be used to fuel the Anbar combined cycle power plant, which is under construction by the Ministry of Electricity, Mr Abdel Ghani said. Rights to develop the field were first awarded to South Korea's state-run Korea Gas in 2010. Kogas signed a deal to develop it in 2011 but withdrew when the field was captured by ISIS, then retaken by Baghdad in late 2017. In 2024, Ukraine's Ukrzemresurs was contracted to develop the field, but the government terminated the deal months later due to delays. Despite being Opec's second-biggest producer, Iraq is dependent on Iran for about a third of its electricity needs. It buys 50 million cubic metres of natural gas and 500 megawatts of electricity a day from Iran. Baghdad has been under pressure from the US to wean itself off Iranian energy imports, which have been subject to US sanctions since 2018. In recent years, Iraq has taken measures to develop its natural gas resources and reduce the shortfalls in the electricity sector. The country's natural gas reserves stand at about 3,714 billion cubic metres, according to oil ministry figures.
