Iraq gripped with nationwide power outage amid 'record' heat

Power was out on Monday across Iraq as scorching summer temperatures pushed demand on the electricity grid to unprecedented levels, authorities said. The electricity ministry said the grid suffered a "total outage" as heat reached 48-50 °C in Baghdad and central and southern regions.

It said two transmission lines were shut down "due to a record rise in temperatures, increased consumer demand, and increased electrical load in the provinces of Babylon and Karbala, which are experiencing an influx of millions of pilgrims" for a major Shiite Muslim religious commemoration.

The transmission lines shutting down caused "a sudden and accidental loss of more than 6,000 megawatts on the grid", the ministry added, with power plants also halting operations.

The outage comes amid a heatwave that Iraqi meteorological services expect to last more than a week.

"Our teams are currently mobilised on the ground to gradually restore the grid over the next few hours," the electricity ministry said.

Electricity shortages are a frequent complaint in Iraq, which is sometimes rocked by protests when outages worsen in the hot summer months.

In July 2023, a fire at a transmission station in the south caused a widespread power outage.

While the vast majority of Iraqis rely on private generators, it is often not sufficient to power all household appliances, especially air conditioners.

To survive without power outages, Iraq needs to produce approximately 55,000 megawatts during periods of peak demand.

This month, for the first time, Iraq's power plants reached the 28,000 megawatt threshold.

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