Sudani reviews summer power preparations, stresses revenue collection

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani visited the Electricity Ministry headquarters Wednesday to review early preparations to secure power supplies for the upcoming summer season.

The meeting covered plans for generation, transmission and distribution, efforts to address bottlenecks in the national grid, and the status of revenue collection.

Al-Sudani said revenue collection is a priority, citing its role in “rationalizing consumption and reducing energy losses.”

“Collection is not merely a means of generating revenue, but rather a mechanism to ensure sustainable service delivery and to allocate proceeds toward rehabilitating and developing the electricity sector,” he said, according to the Prime Minister’s Media Office.

He directed the preparation of a comprehensive study on revenue collection, including assessing tariffs in comparison with neighboring countries, and instructed the ministry to regularly review plans and field measures to enhance service.

Iraq faces chronic electricity shortages, particularly during summer when temperatures often exceed 50 degrees Celsius. In August, Electricity Minister Ziyad Ali Fadel said Iraq reached a record 28,000 megawatts through maintenance, station upgrades and imported fuel.

In October, the ministry announced a plan to activate electronic billing, including installing smart meters and introducing electronic payment methods.

Iraq’s national grid remains weak due to decades of war, underinvestment, corruption and infrastructure damage. Despite vast oil and gas reserves, fuel constraints limit production — much of the gas that could power plants is wasted through flaring or imported from Iran, with supplies at times disrupted by sanctions.