Iraq’s Electricity Ministry denies tariff hike rumors

BAGHDAD — The Ministry of Electricity on Sunday denied social media claims that power tariffs have been raised, insisting that prices for households remain unchanged and heavily subsidized.

In a statement, the minister’s media office said the ministry affirms “with the highest levels of clarity and responsibility, that what is being circulated about raising the electricity tariff has no connection to the truth.” It described the reports as “a deliberate attempt to mislead public opinion and harm the national efforts being made in the energy sector.”

The ministry said the current residential tariff is still fully subsidized and unchanged, noting that “the price of one kilowatt-hour is only 10 dinars (about $0.007) for the residential category.” It added that the state subsidizes more than 65% of production costs so that electricity “reaches citizens at the best possible cost.”

Officials framed the rumors as an attempt to undermine public confidence in the sector at a time when the government is trying to increase generation and stabilize supply. The statement urged citizens “not to be drawn behind these malicious allegations and to rely solely on official sources,” stressing that “the rights and comfort of citizens are not a space for bargaining or blatant falsehoods.”

In August, Electricity Minister Ziyad Ali Fadel announced that Iraq had reached a record-high production level of 28,000 megawatts, the highest in its history, through maintenance work, upgrades to power plants and the use of imported fuel.