Iraq power sector faces risks as Iran gas output falls by one-third – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Tehran/ Baghdad

Iran has lost nearly one-third
of its natural gas production capacity after key energy facilities sustained
damage during the recent US-Israeli war on the country, a member of the Iranian
Parliament’s Energy Committee revealed on Saturday, a development that could
affect Iraq’s electricity sector.

Gholam Reza Dehghan Naserabadi
told local media that several facilities and production phases in the Asaluyeh
area of the South Pars Gas Field, the world’s largest, were damaged during the
conflict, causing a sharp decline in output. He noted that Iranian oil and
energy authorities are working to rehabilitate the affected sites and restore
production to pre-war levels, with reconstruction efforts still ongoing.

The disruption could directly
affect Iraq, which relies heavily on Iranian gas to fuel its power stations,
with imports accounting for between one-third and 40% of electricity-generation
needs, particularly during the summer months when temperatures can reach 50°C
and demand surges. Electricity Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mousa Al-Abadi told
Shafaq News in March that interruptions in Iranian gas deliveries had removed
more than 3,000 megawatts from the national grid. Although imports later
resumed, volumes remained below contracted levels.

Baghdad has accelerated
efforts to expand domestic associated-gas production and reduce reliance on
foreign supplies, though officials acknowledge that achieving energy
self-sufficiency will take years. Last month, Electricity Minister Ali Saadi
Wahib pledged to pursue practical solutions to the country’s chronic power
shortages.

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