ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Sunday dismissed more than a dozen electricity ministry officials over “delays and failures” in implementing power-saving and revenue collection regulations, as the country grapples with chronic shortages in the sector.
“Prime Minister Sudani issued directives to relieve 15 distribution center directors due to delays and failures in implementing collection regulations and addressing power losses,” his office said in a statement, instructing the ministry to prioritize “reducing losses and maximizing collections."
The orders were issued during a meeting Sudani chaired in Baghdad with a technical team from the electricity ministry responsible for revenue collection, with the discussions focusing on reducing waste from unmetered consumption, cutting technical losses across the national grid, and improving billing and collection systems.
Sudani's decision coincided with "a tribal dispute" in Baghdad on Sunday, which erupted over increased fees for a private power generator. Two gunmen and four policemen who intervened to stop the fighting were killed,
The vast majority of the Iraqi provinces rely on private generators to compensate for power cuts to public electricity.
Iraq suffers from chronic electricity shortages, especially when demand rises along with summer temperatures that reach scorching levels of over 50 degrees Celsius.
The crisis deepened last week when the Kurdistan Region reduced its supply to federal provinces by 700 megawatts, while Turkey completely cut off its 600-megawatt export.
On Wednesday, electricity ministry spokesperson Ahmed Musa told Rudaw that federal Iraq used to receive 1,800 megawatts from the Kurdistan Region, but this has dropped to 1,100. He attributed the reduction to the Region’s growing domestic demand, especially with its expansion of the 24-hour electricity project known as Runaki.
Around four million people in the Kurdistan Region now have access to the 24-hour electricity program, more than half of the Region’s population, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Turkey’s cutoff was linked to Baghdad’s failure to pay Ankara, Musa added.
With these changes, Iraq currently generates up to 25,500 megawatts, far short of the nearly 54,000 needed to ensure round-the-clock power nationwide.
Baghdad has been scrambling to diversify energy sources after Washington in March rescinded a waiver that allowed Iraq to import electricity from Iran, on which it had relied for years.
Since then, Sudani has pushed for alternatives, including expanding natural gas use and pursuing electricity imports from Jordan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan.
Iraq is also exploring renewables. In late March, the electricity ministry said it was close to finalizing agreements with Emirati and Saudi companies to build solar projects.
