Zaidi visits Electricity Ministry, pledges to find ‘radical solution’ to power cuts

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi visited the Ministry of Electricity on Thursday and pledged to find “a radical solution to the electricity crisis,” directing staff to intensify work to increase supply hours, reduce outages and ease loads ahead of the peak summer season.

Zaidi chaired a meeting with senior ministry officials to review projects and plans for the summer months, describing the energy sector as “a key pillar in the government’s plans” and reaffirming government support for the ministry to carry out its work so that “Iraq becomes like countries around the world and leaves behind the issue of power cuts in the future.”

Iraq has faced chronic electricity shortages for years, particularly during summer when temperatures often exceed 50 degrees Celsius and demand for cooling rises sharply. The national grid has struggled with aging infrastructure, limited generation capacity, fuel shortages and reliance on imported Iranian gas, while many households depend on private diesel generators to compensate for daily cuts.

Much of the Kurdistan Region has switched to 24-hour grid power over the last year but power cuts remain a daily fixture in federal Iraq.

Electricity Minister Ali Saadi Wahib, who won parliamentary approval on May 14, is the youngest minister in Zaidi’s cabinet. Documents submitted to parliament show he has experience in the energy sector through managing operations for the Rabban al-Safina Group of companies. He is the son of Saadi Wahib, founder of the American University of Baghdad, who owns dozens of companies and holds large investment contracts with the government, particularly in the electricity sector.