A widespread power outage in Iraq, coinciding with a sharp drop in imports from Iran, has pushed the country’s energy crisis into a new phase. With declining generation capacity, even summer supply plans have collapsed.
As summer begins and temperatures in many Iraqi cities soar past 45°C (113°F), the electricity crisis has once again emerged as one of the country’s most persistent challenges.
According to a report by Iraq’s Federal Board of Supreme Audit, despite spending over $80 billion on the electricity sector since 2003, the country’s power grid still suffers from prolonged outages and limited supply. In most areas, electricity is available for only 6 to 8 hours a day, while in some regions, blackouts last over 14 hours.
While the Iraqi government blames the production shortfall on increased pressure on the grid due to extreme heat and a record-breaking surge in demand—now exceeding 35,000 megawatts—the country’s actual generation capacity is only around 24,000 megawatts.
Ahmed Moussa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity, stated in a media interview that the current crisis is beyond the ministry’s control, attributing the root cause to international sanctions against Iran. These sanctions have blocked payments for imported gas, leading to the shutdown of key power plants and the loss of nearly 4,000 megawatts of electricity. An additional 1,000 megawatts have been lost due to the suspension of power interconnection lines with neighboring countries.
Moussa added that the Ministry had planned to boost electricity generation to around 27,000 megawatts for the summer of 2025, but fuel shortages derailed that goal, bringing real capacity down to below 23,000 megawatts.
He emphasized that despite early preparations for peak summer consumption, international variables—particularly restrictions involving Iran—caused the sudden collapse of the emergency supply plan. Iraq’s power plants rely on a mix of domestic and imported gas, and without Iranian gas, the country essentially grinds to a halt.