The electricity crisis in Iraq continues to hit the country hard, especially in recent weeks, which witnessed a decline in electrical energy production rates by about 9,000 megawatts.
In producing electrical energy, Iraq relies on thermal and gas stations that operate with local oil and gas, in addition to gas that the government imports from Iran. However, the cessation of Iranian gas supplies more than 40 days ago led to a major crisis in the country, at a time when the Iraqi government is still seeking to invest Gas associated with oil extraction operations and avoid burning in the air.
Iraq is the third country with the highest rates of combustion of associated gas in the world, after Russia and Iran, as the total gas burned by Iraq in 2023 amounted to about 18 billion cubic meters, according to data from the World Bank.
Dependence on Iran
In light of the crisis in the Middle East region, the decline of Iranian influence in Syria and Lebanon, and the pressure exerted by Washington on Baghdad, the prominent politician revealed Ammar Al-Hakim The leader of the Al-Hikmah Movement, which is part of the coordination framework, said that the current American administration informed Baghdad of the intention of the next administration of President-elect Donald Trump not to grant Iraq a new exception to import Iranian gas, which will end in mid-next March.
Al-Hakim’s statements came during a dialogue session held last week in Najaf Governorate (southern Iraq), where he added that Washington informed Baghdad of this and asked it to find other sources of gas to operate power plants.
In 2017, Iraq began importing gas from Iran, while last March the Iraqi government signed a contract with Tehran to import 50 million cubic meters of gas per day for a period of 5 years, which raises many question marks about what the conditions of the Iraqis will become after the advent of… Trump administration.
The media office of Ammar Al-Hakim refused to comment on these statements or answer the questions of the Al Jazeera Net correspondent, while the spokesman for the Ministry of Electricity, Ahmed Musa, confirmed to Al Jazeera Net that Iraq is not anticipating events, and that the Iraqi government is now seeking to diversify energy sources, whether from Turkmenistan or establish power generation stations. Relying on solar energy or heavy oil.
Alternatives
Iraqis are wondering what the Iraqi government can do to dispense with Iranian gas, as the economic advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, answers this, indicating that the government is working on many projects to diversify energy sources.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, he confirmed that Iraq’s intention to import Turkmenistan gas and pass it through Iranian pipelines to Iraq is one of these solutions that will provide Iraq with about 20 million cubic meters of gas per day, and that a Swiss company contracted by the Iraqi government is the one that will undertake the delivery of gas to Iraq via… Use of Iranian pipeline networks.
For his part, spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, Ahmed Musa, confirms that the Iranian gas outage led to a decline in Iraq’s electricity production by about 8,000 megawatts, and that this outage has been continuing for weeks, and that the contract with Turkmenistan to import 20 million cubic meters of gas per day has not yet entered into force. Now we are waiting for the financial procedures that will be taken care of by the Iraqi Trade Bank.
Regarding the possibility of importing Qatari liquefied gas to meet the country’s actual need, Musa revealed in his interview with Al Jazeera Net that importing Qatari gas requires laying pipelines between Iraq and Qatar, or establishing import platforms for liquefied gas in the port of Al-Faw in southern Iraq, revealing that the government is continuing to invite specialized companies. To establish liquefied gas import platforms at Al-Faw port within 8 months, and the government is now in the process of inviting 6 specialized companies to establish these platforms.
This is confirmed by government advisor Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, who adds that efforts to invest in associated gas are continuing and that government projects to fully invest in it will be completed in 2028, while there is still an urgent need to invest in natural gas fields in the country, at a time when Iraq is currently burning the same amount that it imports from Iran. According to him,
Last October, Iraq concluded a contract with Turkmenistan to supply 20 million cubic meters of natural gas to Iraq, while the contract has not entered into force yet, and observers indicate that the entry into force of the contract is subject to American approval to pass the gas through pipelines. Iranian.
Nabil Al-Marsoumi, professor of oil economics at Al-Maqal University in Basra, believes, for his part, that the rising growth in demand for electricity in Iraq necessitates the Iraqi government to accelerate the diversification of energy sources, adding, “It has become absurd to rely on Iran to achieve energy security in Iraq, especially since Iran It is considered an unreliable source and is vulnerable to sanctions, and it is expected that the next Trump administration will impose more sanctions on it.”
He stated – in his speech to Al Jazeera Net – the country’s need to extend a gas pipeline to import liquefied gas from Qatar, especially since the distance between Hamad Port in Qatar and Umm Qasr Port in Iraq does not exceed 650 kilometers only, in addition to the country’s need for more electrical connectivity with neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia, which can supply Iraq with about 1,000 megawatts, in addition to Kuwait, which will supply about 500 megawatts.
Ongoing crisis
In the same regard, Al-Marsoumi adds that the local projects that the government is counting on to invest in associated gas need at least 3 years, in order to complete 4 vital projects in the fields of Halfaya, Nasiriyah, and Artawi, which will add 1,200 mqmq (million standard cubic feet), in addition to the contract with the company. French Total, which will add another 600 trucks.
Despite the government’s efforts, the country currently produces only 18,000 megawatts, according to Al-Marsoumi, who confirms that half of its gas generating stations operate on imported Iranian gas, revealing that the electricity crisis will continue in the future, based on the country’s great need for electrical energy, which is currently estimated at 43,000 megawatts. With the need for electricity increasing every year due to population increase and growth.
He added, “Even if all the quantities of associated gas that are currently being burned are invested, Iraq will still need to import gas, and that means the necessity of investing in the natural gas fields in Akkas in Anbar Governorate, Mansouriya in Diyala, and Khor Mor in Sulaymaniyah.”
