Latest news with #ParliamentaryElectricityCommittee
Shafaq News
09-03-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
8,000 MW threat: Iraq faces looming summer blackouts
Shafaq News/ Iraq could lose 8,000 megawatts of electricity due to the halt in Iranian gas supplies, posing a major challenge to the country's power grid, a senior parliamentary official warned on Sunday. Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Electricity Committee, Walid Al-Sahlani, told Shafaq News that Iraq relies on 1,800 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of Iranian gas. "The loss of this supply will significantly impact gas-powered stations and cripple the national grid," he said. The Iraqi government is actively engaging through diplomatic channels, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to secure a US exemption allowing the resumption of Iranian gas imports, Al-Sahlani added. However, he stressed that the core issue is not the import itself but Iraq's inability to settle payments owed to Tehran, which must be resolved to avoid a summer energy crisis. Earlier today, Parliament's Finance Committee Chairman, Atwan Al-Atwani, delivered an urgent message to the US government, warning that halting Iranian gas imports could lead to a collapse of Iraq's power network in the coming summer.
Shafaq News
08-03-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Iraq braces for worsening power crisis as Iranian gas supply falters
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.
