According to the statement of the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, the country's power grid was completely shut down at 12:40 (local time) on the same day, due to the impact of a fire at a transformer station in Basra province. The incident caused Iraq to lose its entire main power supply, in which the power transmission lines between the South and the Central region were paralyzed, and the operation of power plants was also interrupted.

Illustration photo: Reuters

Authorities are working quickly to restore power plants and transmission lines, hoping the grid can return to normal within the next few hours.

Despite Iraq’s large oil reserves, the electricity grid has not been upgraded enough to meet peak demand, leaving residents with long power cuts in the summer. Many households have signed up for nearby generators as backup, but not all households can afford them and not all generators provide enough power to power appliances such as air conditioners. Summers in Iraq are harsh, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius in Baghdad and the south.

Iraq’s peak summer electricity demand can reach more than 32,000 MW/day. This year, the country’s electricity output reached 26,000 MW/day for the first time, according to data from the Iraqi Electricity Ministry.

VNA

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