Fire at Iraqi Substation Cause Widespread Power Outages
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity confirmed a fire incident at the Al-Bakr substation (123 KV) in Basra, resulting in a complete disconnection of the southern region's power lines and a subsequent shutdown of the electrical system.
According to the ministry, the fire broke out at the Al-Bakr secondary conversion station in Basra Governorate. The incident led to the disconnection of transmission lines between the southern and central regions, causing system frequencies to spike and resulting in the disconnection of generating units in production stations.
Efforts are underway to restore power by the National Control Center in coordination with control centers in the respective governorates. The ministry assures the public that the system will return to regular operation within the coming hours.
Simultaneously, a security source from Saladin reported an "act of sabotage" in which three electrical towers were detonated with explosive devices on the province's outskirts, near the borders of Anbar province.
The attack specifically targeted the Saladin thermal transmission line - Haditha, operating at a voltage of 400 kV, rendering it out of service. The detonation caused severe damage to three towers numbered 272, 273, and 274 in the Qanater area.
The incident occurred in a dunes area, outside the line of defense and lacking adequate security protection, despite prior appeals and warnings about the potential targeting of towers by vandal terrorist groups.
Several Iraqi governorates experienced power outages before these incidents due to technical defects. The Wasit 400 line, linking the central and southern governorates, encountered issues, resulting in a collapse of the electrical system.
In response, maintenance teams are on general alert to identify faults and expedite the restoration of electricity to all regions affected by the disruptions.
