Parliamentary proposal to address the electricity shortage crisis

Shafaq News / The Parliamentary Oil and Energy Committee announced, on Friday, that it submitted a proposal to the Minister of Electricity, Majid Hantoosh, to solve the energy crisis instead of linking it to the Gulf system.

Member of the committee, Mahmoud Al-Zajrawi, told Shafaq News agency that his committee held a meeting with Hantoosh, to discuss the deterioration of the electricity situation and the ministry’s direction to link Iraq with the Gulf system, in addition to its measures to improve electric power supply in the next stage.

"During the meeting, the committee submitted a proposal to the minister that includes relying on oil revenues to secure financial revenues, to support projects of producing electric power in the country, instead of linking it to the Gulf system", he added.

Al-Zajrawi said, "Connecting the electric power to the Gulf system will cost Iraq huge sums of money, while our country can rely on its wealth to achieve energy self-sufficiency".

Iraq is holding talks with Gulf countries, led by Saudi Arabia, to import electricity from them by linking its organization with the Gulf system, after it had relied on Iran over the past years by importing 1,200 megawatts, as well as gas fuel to feed local electric power plants.

Iraq also intends to import electricity from Jordan and Turkey, in an effort from Baghdad to fill the shortage until power stations are built and prepared to meet local demands.

Iraq suffers from a chronic electricity shortage crisis for decades, due to the blockade and successive wars. Residents have been protesting for many years against frequent power cuts, especially in summer, as temperatures sometimes reach 50 degrees Celsius.