Iraq’s electricity sector must bring in long-term reforms and solutions to fix its power cut crisis, an International Energy Agency official has told The National.
A widespread power cut hit Iraq a few days ago amid scorching hot temperatures, affecting millions of Iraqis including those in the capital Baghdad and southern cities.
The Ministry of Electricity said the country’s grid was generating about 4,000 megawatts on Friday, significantly less than the 12,000 to 17,000 megawatts the grid generates on average.
By midday, production had climbed to 8,000MW.
“Iraq’s electricity problem requires a short, medium and long-term plan, yet governments have tended to look at the short-term fixes. But you can’t go on with short-term fixes if you want a sustainable system in the long run,” Ali Al Saffar, Middle East and North Africa programme manager at the International Energy Agency, told The National.
The three must be logical and must fit with one another, he said.
“What we are seeing today is a situation where the grid has virtually collapsed, and it happens when the flows of electricity are going up and down and the system closes down,” Mr Al Saffar said.
The cuts can take place when the electricity network is working at maximum capacity, or be caused by glitches in the transmission network and distribution. High temperatures can also play a role.
“The heat is intense, which can cause issues. Iraq’s imports of natural gas and electricity were also massively curtailed,” Mr Al Saffar said.
Iraq needs investment in most of its industries after years of war and economic decline, but power generation is especially sensitive.
Its war-battered grid provides only a few hours of power each day, and chronic shortages were at the heart of anti-government protests in October 2019.
“No matter what Iraq has invested over the last decade, there has been a growing gap between supply and demand – and when there’s a gap between the supply of electricity and demand for electricity that can’t be met, that’s what causes the blackouts,” he said.
There needs to be a push for investment in transmission and distribution, the maintenance of plants and generators so the country will not lose electricity, Mr Al Saffar said.
Iraq can generate up to 20,000MW, but the actual capacity, depending on technical losses, security and maintenance problems, averages between 12,000 and 17,000MW during the summer months.
The country does have the capacity to counter the problem.
Iraq is one of the largest gas-flaring countries in the world. It burns enough energy to satisfy its demands and to counter this lack of electricity supplies, Mr Al Saffar said.
“We know that Iraq is reliant on imports. It burns a lot of gas. In fact, Iraq burns in Basra the same volumes of gas that it imports, so if it were to capture that gas it wouldn’t have to rely on the imports,” he said.
The problem is not only technical, however, but ties in with security.
A wave of attacks on power transmission lines by unknown groups has occurred in the country’s north.
“There is a targeted campaign by armed groups to hit the transmission and distribution networks and power plants. There seem to be concerted efforts to try to hit the electricity system and it doesn’t take a genius to find out why that would be,” Mr Al Saffar said.
“It’s really hot in Iraq and that’s what would make people angry.”
Last Thursday, a 400-kilovolt line from Kirkuk to Qayara was sabotaged. Another 132kV line was hit in Salahaddin on the same day.
Next government
Iraq is set to host nationwide elections in October. If a new government is formed “with a stable mandate and have prioritised the electricity portfolio then Iraq’s energy problems can be solved”, Mr Al Saffar said.
The government of Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi has been “determined to bring in private sector and international investments” to the country.
“This is encouraging news,” Mr Al Saffar said. That Baghdad had signed a deal was particularly positive, he said.
Last week, UAE energy company Masdar said it would develop new solar projects in Iraq.
It has signed an agreement with Iraq’s National Investment Commission to develop photovoltaic projects with a minimum capacity of two gigawatts.
“It’s a very significant amount,” he said.
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Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
Results
Stage Two:
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 04:20:45
2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates
4. Olav Kooij (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
General Classification:
1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix 09:03:03
2. Dmitry Strakhov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:04
3. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 00:00:06
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:10
5. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:12
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
When December 14-17
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
UAE%20Warriors%2045%20Results
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
SPECS
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
