Baghdad generator owners strike over diesel supplies
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Owners of private electricity generators in Baghdad began shutting down their units at midnight on Monday, protesting what they described as “inadequate support” from the Ministry of Oil, Shafaq News correspondents reported.
Generator owners in Sadr City, eastern Baghdad, switched off their units at midnight after several days of preparations for the protest. Some operators also voluntarily reported to security forces, according to Shafaq News correspondents, acknowledging their violation of operating regulations as a show of commitment to the protest.
Operators in New Baghdad, Baladiyat and Karrada also switched off their units at the scheduled time.
The shutdown came about two hours after the Ministry of Oil told Shafaq News that it prioritizes supplying residential generator operators with gas oil (diesel fuel), with allocations based on the number of hours of electricity supplied through the national grid.
The ministry cited its fuel-supply record over the past two decades, adding that allocations are based on data provided by local governments on registered generators. According to official figures, generators received 366 million liters of fuel in June, based on an allocation of 45 liters per kVA, at a price of 200 Iraqi dinars per liter (about $0.15). In July, the ministry supplied 422 million liters at the same rate, free of charge. In August, it supplied 416 million liters at the same rate, also free of charge.
