Iran cuts gas supplies to southern Iraq entirely as conflict disrupts energy flows

BAGHDAD — Iranian gas supplies to southern Iraq stopped entirely at midnight Friday, cutting 10 million cubic meters per day to the region, Electricity Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mousa said Saturday.

Current Iranian flows are now limited to 10 million cubic meters per day to central Iraq only, leaving southern power plants without imported fuel for generation. The Oil Ministry is working to secure alternative fuel supplies for affected stations, Mousa said.

He also warned that regional developments are beginning to affect Iraq’s own oil extraction and production levels, and that authorities are monitoring the situation to ensure domestic gas rates used to operate power plants are not affected.

The latest disruption follows a turbulent period for Iranian gas flows to Iraq. Supplies stopped entirely on March 18 after Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars gas field — the world’s largest natural gas reserve — knocked 3,100 megawatts offline from Iraq’s national grid. Flows partially resumed on March 21 at 5 million cubic meters per day, with power stations bridging the gap using national gas and diesel. They had since risen to 10 million cubic meters before Friday’s cut to the south.

Iran normally supplies between a third and 40 percent of Iraq’s electricity needs. With summer peak demand approaching and the regional conflict showing no sign of abating, the repeated interruptions pose a growing threat to Iraq’s power grid stability.