(Photo: PM Al-Sudani's media office)
Monitor
PM chairs meeting on electricity projects ahead of summer
BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani chaired a meeting Sunday to review oil-sector projects and evaluate plans to secure electricity for the summer, his media office said.
During the session, the minister of electricity presented strategies to meet power demands and manage operations at fuel stations, while the minister of oil outlined steps to supply power plants with sufficient fuel. Officials also approved the extension of a 40-kilometer gas pipeline from Al-Mahmoudiya to Bismayah, intended to help the Bismayah power plant operate at full capacity.
This meeting followed a similar session last week in which Al-Sudani and key officials assessed Iraq’s electricity supply readiness, focusing on production, distribution, billing procedures and digital transformation.
Iraq routinely faces electricity shortages, especially during the summer months when temperatures can exceed 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite repeated government promises to resolve the issue, power supply has long lagged behind demand.
Sunday’s discussions came after Washington declined to renew a sanctions waiver allowing Iraq to purchase electricity from Iran, a U.S. Embassy spokesperson in Baghdad said. Iran supplies about one-third of Iraq’s gas and electricity. The statement made no reference to Iranian gas imports, which remain critical for domestic power generation.
Statement from PM Al-Sudani’s media office:
Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani chaired today, Sunday, the regular meeting focusing on monitoring the implementation of projects in the oil sector and reviewing the prepared plan to secure electricity supply for the upcoming summer.
The Minister of Electricity presented the ministry’s plan to ensure power supply for the summer, along with operational plans for fuel stations. Meanwhile, the Minister of Oil outlined the ministry’s plan to supply power plants with the required fuel quantities, including discussions on floating and mobile platforms and the bids submitted by companies in this regard.
It was decided to proceed with completing the gas transmission line from power generation plants in Basra to the floating platform and to finalize contracts submitted by companies for its swift completion. The meeting also addressed the required quantity of fuel oil for power plants, its financial costs, storage facilities, and all logistics related to fuel importation.
Additionally, the meeting approved the extension of a new gas pipeline from Al-Mahmoudiya to Bismayah, spanning 40 km, to ensure sufficient gas supply, enabling the Bismayah power plant to operate at full capacity during the summer.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of the Ministry of Oil’s strategic projects not included in the government program, including the fifth and sixth licensing round projects and the Basra-Haditha oil pipeline project. The discussion covered planned execution rates for the current year and achievements as of February for projects under the government program.
The progress of projects in the extraction sector was assessed, including:
• The seawater supply pipelines project at Basra Oil Company,
• The seawater treatment plant project,
• The fourth and fifth offshore pipeline projects,
• The third offshore pipeline project,
• The completion of Artawi gas complex (Phase II),
• The development of the Mansuriya, Akkaz, and Faihaa fields,
• The awarding of contracts for the fifth licensing round,
• The completion rates of the FCC Fluid catalytic cracking unit project.
