Intel: Iraq’s power crisis prompts resignation of electricity minister
Scorching summer heat, coordinated attacks on power transmission towers and Tehran cutting its power supply to Baghdad have contributed to severe power shortages across the country.
Iraq’s Electricity Minister Majed Mahdi Hantoush resigned on Tuesday following pressure over repeated power outages across the country. Hantoush’s resignation coincided with a “complete shutdown” of the power system in the southern governorates of Basra, Dhi Qar, Maysan and Muthanna.
Electricity shortages have plagued Iraq for decades, but this summer is something new. Summer temperatures are averaging over 120 degrees Fahrenheit, coordinated attacks against Iraq’s transmission towers are increasing and Iran cut its power supply to Baghdad amid billions owed to Tehran. Coupled with the resignation of Hantoush, the electricity sector could face its worst summer in years.
“The prime minister needs to find a replacement as soon as possible,” said Harry Istepanian, an independent energy and water expert based in Washington, DC, and a senior fellow of the Iraq Energy Institute. “It will be challenging for anyone who will accept the portfolio to make a ‘quick fix.’ Iraq’s electricity problems are chronic and would require not only technical and financial solutions but also legislative and reforming of the entire sector, which could not happen overnight.”
Why it matters: Iraq is plagued by chronic power shortages. In some cases, electricity is only available a few hours a day. These shortages, among corruption and unemployment claims, were at the core of protests that erupted across the country in October 2019 and led to the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.
