Abdullah Al-Haqim 
BaghdadA harsh summer ghost is greeted by the population of Mesopotamia, amid fears of the exacerbation of the electric energy crisis, against the backdrop of the United States’ decision to end the exemptions granted to Baghdad related to the import of gas and electric energy from Iran.
This decision, which falls within the American “maximum” policy, warns of severe consequences for the stability of Iraq, as it relies heavily on Iranian gas to operate its electrical stations.
Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shi’a Al -Sudani, and the US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz – during a telephone conversation, confirmed last Sunday their commitment to promoting and deepening the strategic partnership. While the latter pointed out that “ending the exclusion of electricity equipped from Iran is linked to the policy of maximum pressure, which confirms the importance of bilateral coordination to avoid any possible negative effects on the stability of Iraq.”
A harsh summer waving
Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, the financial advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister, confirmed that his country will face a harsh and difficult summer if the United States insists on its position on canceling exceptions related to the import of gas and electric energy from Tehran.
Saleh explained – in an interview with Al -Jazeera Net – that Iraq’s need for electric energy at the height of the summer is approximately 50 thousand megawatts, while the maximum production of Iraq is about 27 thousand megawatts, including civil generators.
He added, “How will Iraq manage the interruption of Iranian gas, which provides at least 6,000 megawatts feeding, in addition to a thousand megawatts of direct electricity, which sometimes reaches 7 thousand megawatts?”
The Sudanese advisor pointed out that Iraq will have to deal with the summer, with a amount of 20 thousand megawatts only, explaining that the Ministry of Electricity has the ability to maneuver by operating some gas stations on diesel fuel, although this type of fuel causes damage to the stations quickly and needs continuous cleaning.
“It is not easy if we want to transfer a gas station to the diesel station, unless the station is technically equipped for this thing,” he added.
Saleh affirmed the existence of a high level of technical level of compensation, but he expressed his hope to solve this part, otherwise Iraq will face a difficult and harsh summer.
Saleh called on the American administration to leave this issue because it is a humanitarian issue, noting that even in the siege of the United Nations on the country after 1991 it was allowed to import in the field of humanitarian aspects.
Saleh concluded by saying, “Iraq is working with great efforts to loosen the burning of the gas to turn it into energy for the purposes of electrical stations and other things, and it works to adapt to the imposed situation, but it is frankly not easy and easy.”
Iraq relies heavily on Iranian gas to operate its electrical stations, especially the south, and this makes the country vulnerable to any fluctuations in gas supplies from Iran.
Iran provides Iraq with about 50 million cubic meters of gas per day, covering about a third of the country’s needs, which is enough to produce about 6-7 thousand megawatts of electricity.
Iraq options
A member of the Energy Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Bassem Ngimish, confirmed that the government is studying 3 alternative options if the United States insists on not renewing the exemptions related to the import of gas and electrical energy from Iran.
In an interview with Al -Jazeera Net – Ngimash explained that in the event of the termination of exemptions, there is no solution on the horizon of the issue of electrical energy, and there is no alternative to Iranian gas present, noting that Turkmenist gas also passes through Iranian companies subject to an American veto.
He pointed out that the other options offered, such as importing gas from Qatar or energy from Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, need a long time, and that the quantities that can be imported from Jordan are very few and do not meet the purpose.
Ngimish added that the options currently offered to the government include:
- Solar energy: as the Prime Minister began contracting solar power panels, and some governorates began to determine the appropriate sites, but this option requires a long time that may reach a year for achievement.
- Granting loans to citizens to install solar panels in homes: it is a faster procedure but it needs government support.
- Support of civil generators with fuel: It is an option that requires the provision of double quantities of gas fuel.
A member of the Parliament’s Energy Committee confirmed that Iraq will face a major crisis in the event that a political solution is not reached that allows the import of gas from Tehran.
For his part, Minister of Electricity, Ziad Ali Fadel, announced on February 4, a initiative that aims to encourage citizens to acquire solar power systems and connect them to the electrical network. This initiative comes within the government’s efforts to overcome previous problems, due to the delay in entering Iranian gas and the problems of importing electricity by searching for other means to diversify energy sources and reduce the burden on the national electrical system.
In a statement, the Minister affirmed the rehabilitation of 8 companies specialized in the field of solar energy within the first stage, within the framework of the Central Bank initiative.
