Iraq's Nationwide Power Outage Resolved: Electricity Supply Restored Across All Provinces
The electricity grid is gradually recovering following a complete shutdown due to high temperatures and increased demand.
BAGHDAD: After a nationwide power outage, Iraq has begun to see the gradual restoration of its electricity supply.
According to an anonymous government official who spoke with AFP, all provinces have been affected by the blackout, which was caused by a combination of record-high temperatures and a surge in electrical demand.
The grid is expected to fully recover within the next day, though the process is ongoing.
Electricity shortages are a recurring issue in Iraq, where corruption and deteriorating infrastructure have plagued the public utility.
As a result, most households rely on private generators as a means of coping with regular power cuts.
On Monday, the electricity ministry cited the extreme heat and increased consumption as factors leading to the failure of transmission lines and subsequent total outage.
As of Tuesday night, the central province of Karbala, which is expected to host millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims for an important religious event, was among the first areas to have its power restored.
Baghdad's grid has reportedly returned to 95% of its normal capacity, according to the official source.
The nationwide outage occurred during a heatwave that is forecasted to last more than a week in Iraq, with temperatures reaching up to 50C across certain regions.
Despite their reliance on generators, many households are unable to power all of their appliances, particularly air conditioners, due to insufficient generator capacity.
Protests have erupted in Iraq during previous summers when outages worsened under the hot conditions.
In order to prevent such occurrences, Iraqi authorities would need to increase electricity production to approximately 55,000 megawatts.
Notably, this month marks the first time that the country's power plants have reached a capacity of 28,000 megawatts.
Currently, the government official stated that the electricity system is stable and operating within normal parameters, producing around 24,000 megawatts with expectations to reach 27,000 once any remaining technical issues related to Monday's outage are resolved.
According to an anonymous government official who spoke with AFP, all provinces have been affected by the blackout, which was caused by a combination of record-high temperatures and a surge in electrical demand.
The grid is expected to fully recover within the next day, though the process is ongoing.
Electricity shortages are a recurring issue in Iraq, where corruption and deteriorating infrastructure have plagued the public utility.
As a result, most households rely on private generators as a means of coping with regular power cuts.
On Monday, the electricity ministry cited the extreme heat and increased consumption as factors leading to the failure of transmission lines and subsequent total outage.
As of Tuesday night, the central province of Karbala, which is expected to host millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims for an important religious event, was among the first areas to have its power restored.
Baghdad's grid has reportedly returned to 95% of its normal capacity, according to the official source.
The nationwide outage occurred during a heatwave that is forecasted to last more than a week in Iraq, with temperatures reaching up to 50C across certain regions.
Despite their reliance on generators, many households are unable to power all of their appliances, particularly air conditioners, due to insufficient generator capacity.
Protests have erupted in Iraq during previous summers when outages worsened under the hot conditions.
In order to prevent such occurrences, Iraqi authorities would need to increase electricity production to approximately 55,000 megawatts.
Notably, this month marks the first time that the country's power plants have reached a capacity of 28,000 megawatts.
Currently, the government official stated that the electricity system is stable and operating within normal parameters, producing around 24,000 megawatts with expectations to reach 27,000 once any remaining technical issues related to Monday's outage are resolved.
