Complete Power Outage Hits Central and Southern Iraq, Sparking Crisis Hours After Government Statements

Several provinces in central and southern Iraq experienced a complete collapse of the electrical grid on Monday, leading to a total power outage and causing widespread public concern. This sudden collapse occurred just hours after Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had praised advancements in the energy sector.

Sources for Al-Sumaria TV confirmed that the main reason for the collapse was a technical fault in transmission lines, combined with heavy loads, which led to all power stations going offline. The sources indicated that power plants in provinces such as Basra, Maysan, Wasit, and Kirkuk had completely stopped working. Intensive efforts are currently underway by maintenance teams to gradually restart the stations and restore electricity to the affected areas.

The timing of this outage is politically damaging, as it comes directly after statements by Prime Minister al-Sudani, in which he affirmed the government's continued efforts to develop electricity production and build partnerships to secure gas for power plants. Earlier in the day, al-Sudani had inaugurated turbine unit (13) at the Basmaya gas-fired power station, which was expected to add 300 megawatts to production. He also mentioned that maintenance work had added an additional 210 megawatts, bringing the station's total production to 5000 megawatts.

The Prime Minister had praised the efforts of private sector workers, the Ministry of Electricity, and GE, confirming that the government was moving forward with developing the national energy infrastructure through multiple channels. However, the recent collapse highlights the fragility of Iraq's power grid and brings the significant challenges facing the country's energy sector back into focus. It raises questions about the effectiveness of the announced achievements in light of the overall instability of the system.