Electricity production positively impacts Iraq’s economy

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi cities are witnessing a remarkable improvement in terms of electricity production, which positively affected the Iraqi economy and many segments of Iraqi society.

For the first time since 2003, Iraqis are seeing an improvement in the production of electric power, allowing Iraqis to have access to electric power for 20 hours per day after it ranged between 8 and 10 hours per day.

“We started preparations starting from the end of November, and therefore there is an increase of 3,500 megawatts compared to the previous year,” the spokesperson of the Ministry of Electricity, Ahmed Musa, told Sky News Arabia.

“The increase in electricity production is a result of the completion of periodic maintenance for some power plants that were stopped,” Musa added.

The increase in electric power production is reflected positively on the lives of a large segment of the Iraqi society, which had to pay monthly sums of $100 to generator owners.

Experts believe that Iraq still needs several years to achieve self-sufficiency in electricity production.

Qassem Al-Tamimi, a researcher in economic affairs, elaborated that Iraq concluded interconnection agreements with some of the Gulf States and other countries, and it is taking steps forward to provide electric power during the current and future summers, Sky News Arabia mentioned.

Al-Tamimi added that Iraq would need several years to have local production sufficient for domestic consumption.