Authorities deny attack on Baiji plant as Iraq grapples with nationwide blackout
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Police in Saladin province on Wednesday denied reports that the Baiji power station had come under attack, saying the disruption was a “technical shutdown” unrelated to any hostile act.
In a statement, the provincial police command said the outage at Baiji resulted from a technical malfunction and urged media outlets and social media users to rely solely on official information.
A source at the Baiji refinery told Shafaq News the stoppage was “purely technical” and is being handled by engineering teams. Maintenance work is underway to restore affected units, the source said, stressing that no damage from explosions or targeting was recorded and that operations inside the refinery remain stable.
The clarification came after most Iraqi provinces were plunged into darkness Wednesday evening following a nationwide grid collapse.
A source at the Electricity Ministry said the national power system shut down completely, particularly across central and southern provinces. Basra’s electricity control center attributed the outage to a technical fault that halted supply to homes and key facilities.
A southern monitoring team said most transmission lines went offline due to an emergency malfunction, adding that technical crews began restoration efforts immediately.
