Links with Turkey, Gulf and Jordan to add 1,250MW before summer, ministry says

BAGHDAD — Electricity interconnection projects with Turkey, Gulf states and Jordan will come online before summer, adding a combined 1,250 megawatts to Iraq’s national grid, the Electricity Ministry said Tuesday.

Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mousa said the projects will supply 600 MW from Turkey, 500 MW in the first phase of the Gulf interconnection and 150 MW from Jordan, to be distributed across southern and northern regions, Anbar governorate and Baghdad.

The addition will do little to close a yawning supply gap. The ministry aims to produce 30,000 MW this summer against expected peak demand of between 55,000 and 60,000 MW. “Our stations cannot produce this number of electricity,” Mousa said, warning that the shortfall will result in continued scheduled outages across governorates, with exceptions for water stations, sewage plants and hospitals.

Reaching even the 30,000 MW target depends on securing sufficient gas supplies. Iranian imports have recovered to around 20 million cubic meters per day after strikes on Iran’s South Pars gas field in March reduced output and cut supplies to southern governorates for weeks, but that remains well short of the roughly 50 million cubic meters per day needed to run gas-dependent plants at capacity. Iraq typically relies on Iran for between a third and 40% of its electricity needs.