Iraq loses 5,000 MW of electricity as Iran reduces gas supplies

Baghdad, July 10 The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity said the country has lost 5,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity because of a shortage of gas supply by Iran.

The loss of nearly 5,000 MW caused by the decline in gas supplies from Iran and the gap of 10,000 MW because of insufficient national gas production have negatively affected the electricity supply to citizens, Xinhua news agency quoted Ministry spokesman Ahmed Musa as saying to the local media.

The Ministry is trying to coordinate with the Iranian side to re-pump the gas in the required quantities, pending a solution to transfer financial dues to Iran, he added.

Iraq imports gas to feed its power stations across the country from Iran, which occasionally reduces gas supplies over accumulated debts of Iraq.

Last month, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said the government was implementing plans to invest in its associated gas and natural gas fields to reduce dependence on imports.

In May, Oil Minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani said the country's oil reserves increased by 10 billion barrels and its natural gas reserves by 8 trillion cubic feet after a three-dimensional seismic survey near Basra, a key oil hub located about 550 km south of the capital Baghdad.

The new figures would raise the proven reserves of Iraq's crude oil to about 155 billion barrels and natural gas to about 140 trillion cubic feet.

It is worth noting that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, of which Iraq is a member, has not officially adopted the new figures yet.