Iraq’s Diyala gets less than 25% of electricity needed for summer
Shafaq News- Diyala
Iraq’s Diyala province is receiving 500 megawatts of electricity against demand exceeding 2,400 MW during peak summer consumption, the Diyala Electricity Distribution Branch stated on Wednesday, attributing the shortfall to lower national generation and disruptions in imported gas supplies from “neighboring countries.”
The branch warned that any emergency or disruption affecting the national grid could further reduce supply to one hour on against four hours off, adding that the current allocation was “insufficient” to stabilize distribution networks and meet rising demand amid soaring temperatures and increased summer loads.
The shortages are affecting Diyala, an eastern Iraqi province home to nearly 2 million residents, amid mounting pressure on Iraq’s electricity sector following disruptions to Iranian gas supplies during the US-Israeli war on Iran earlier this year.
“All secondary substations, transmission lines, and electricity distribution networks in the province are fully ready to operate and handle electrical loads if Diyala receives increased allocations and the necessary power supply.”
Disruptions in Iranian gas supplies have already knocked more than 3,000 MW off the national grid, Iraqi Electricity Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mousa al-Abadi told Shafaq News in March. Imports later resumed at sharply reduced levels of around 5 million cubic meters per day compared with contracted volumes of 50 million.
The Electricity Ministry has also warned that summer demand could approach 40 GW against production estimated at roughly 29 GW, while Iranian gas has historically supported nearly one-third of the country’s electricity generation.
Read more: Iraq power 2026: war on Iran collapses the grid's last defenses ahead of peak summer
