Iraq’s power shortfall reaches 39,000 megawatts

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Current estimates indicate that Iraq’s electricity crisis continues to worsen, with the daily shortage reaching approximately 39,000 megawatts.

The shortfall is caused by limited fuel availability for power plants and a drop in some external supply sources, according to Attaqa News.

Electricity output in Iraq is currently between 16,000 and 17,000 megawatts per day, while demand in the summer approaches 55,000 megawatts.

This shortage in electricity supplies places the grid under significant and ongoing operational challenges.

Iraq’s capacity to maintain current production levels relies heavily on the continuing supply of Iranian gas at around 20 million cubic meters per day. Any potential decline or disruption in gas supplies from Iran would worsen the issue.

The month of May has seen successive shocks to the electricity sector in the country, the most notable of which is the delayed completion of the Excelerate Energy liquefied natural gas (LNG) project until 2027 rather than mid-2026.

Additional incidents include the postponement of the electricity interconnection project with the Gulf States and the suspension of the electrical link with Turkey due to the debt issue.

Analysts see that Iraq should speed up the implementation of strategic measures to avoid an increasing supply shortfall in the coming years.