On Tuesday, Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity announced a complete halt in the supply of imported Iranian gas, resulting in a loss of between 4,000 and 4,500 megawatts from the national power grid. This disruption has led to the shutdown of some power generation units and load reductions in others, affecting electricity supply hours.
In an official statement, the ministry’s media office said, “The Iranian side sent a formal cable notifying the ministry of the complete halt of gas pumping due to emergency reasons.”
A ministry spokesperson explained that Iraq has turned to using alternative local fuel in coordination with the Ministry of Oil to keep power stations running. He emphasized that “production remains under control, and stations continue to operate despite some being affected by the gas shortage.”
The spokesperson added that the ministry had prepared for peak winter demand by carrying out maintenance, rehabilitation, and expansion work at power plants. He also noted ongoing coordination with the Ministry of Oil to meet domestic needs until the resumption of imported gas supplies.
Iraq imports 50 million cubic feet of gas from Iran, which accounts for two-thirds of the country’s power generation, according to government spokesperson Bassem Al-Awadi.
According to the Ministry of Electricity, Iraq needs around 50,000 megawatts to meet its energy demands—especially during summer—while current production stands at approximately 28,000 megawatts, based on official figures.