Turkey to double electricity exports to Iraq

Baghdad is seeking to offset imports from Iran amid US sanctions as summer looms

Iraq struggles to meet the growing demand for electricity and relies on Iranian imports for a third of its needs. AFP

Turkey is to double its electricity exports to Iraq to 600 megawatts as Baghdad seeks to offset US-sanctioned energy from Iran before the scorching summer months.

Iraq's Ministry of Electricity has completed “all logistical and infrastructure measures necessary to increase the supply capacity via the Iraqi-Turkish interconnection line to 600 megawatts", it said in a statement on Sunday.

Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkey's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, held meetings in Baghdad with officials including Iraqi Electricity Minister Ziad Ali Fadel. Mr Bayraktar said the increased electricity supply will begin “in the coming months”, the Iraqi ministry said.

Last July, Baghdad and Ankara inaugurated the power line that currently supplies Iraq with 300MW of electricity. Under US President Donald Trump's “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, America last week rescinded a waiver to Iraq that would allow it to secure energy imports from Iran. The policy is designed to put pressure on Iran over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Despite being Opec’s second-biggest producer, Iraq struggles to meet the growing demand for electricity because of decades of war, mismanagement and corruption. Iraq spent at least $60 billion on the electricity sector since the 2003 US-led invasion of the country, former prime minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi said in 2020.

Baghdad depends on Iran for about a third of its electricity needs. It buys 50 million cubic metres of natural gas and 500MW of electricity a day from Iran. US sanctions will only affect electricity imports, Iraqi officials have said.

Baghdad has been under pressure from the US to wean itself off Iranian energy imports, which have been subject to US sanctions since 2018. Since then, Washington has repeatedly extended waivers to Baghdad for periods of 45 to 120 days to allow it to import Iranian electricity and gas.

Iraq has in recent years taken some measures to develop its natural gas resources and reduce shortfalls in the electricity sector. Iraq’s natural gas reserves stand at about 3,714 billion cubic metres, Oil Ministry figures show.