BAGHDAD, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iraq has lost 4,000-4,500 megawatts of electricity generation after Iran completely suspended gas supplies, the Iraqi Electricity Ministry said Tuesday.
In a post on Facebook, the ministry said the suspension followed an Iranian notification citing emergency circumstances.
It added that it is coordinating with the Iraqi Oil Ministry to use local alternative fuels to keep most power plants operational despite the shortage.
Iraq, long plagued by chronic power shortages due to decades of conflict, remains heavily reliant on Iranian gas to fuel its power grid, particularly during summer.
However, the supplies are often interrupted by technical faults, maintenance work, or payment disputes, triggering widespread blackouts.
Since 2018, Washington had granted Baghdad repeated sanctions waivers to continue these gas imports, but it tightened restrictions in March, removing a waiver that allowed Iraq to import electricity directly from Iran, while leaving the exemption for natural gas in place.
