Home
Electricity bills... {burdens of billions} and {damage to development and the economy}
Economical 2023/07/11
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Baghdad: Ali Muwaffaq
In light of the deterioration of the supply of electric power, the electricity crisis brings to mind the suffering of citizens at the beginning of each summer season. Despite the disbursement of billions of dollars over the years and promises of improvement, they evaporated with the first heat wave in the country.
The crisis was not limited to the scarcity of providing electricity only, but also the large losses caused by this sector to the economy over the past two decades. Since 2003, experts say: Iraq has spent huge amounts of money to produce electric power, but without much benefit.
In 2021, the government said: Iraq has spent about $81 billion on the electricity sector, which is unreasonable spending without reaching a solution to the root problem.
According to economic expert Ahmed Al-Hathal, the energy sector in most countries is one of the most important tools that stimulate the economy, pointing out that it is closely associated with the industrial and agricultural sectors, as it is the main operator of these sectors.
He said in a statement to "Al-Sabah": "The Iraqi economy is exposed to large and heavy losses due to the severe shortage in supplying electric power," explaining that "successive governments have not been able, over the past years, to build major stations capable of compensating for this shortage."
Al-Hathlal stressed that “there is no economic development without an integrated electric power sector,” pointing out that “labor costs in the industrial and agricultural sectors will be exorbitant in light of the decline in processing hours, which means continuing to import most goods and commodities.”
A report by the Brookings Institution states that Iraq loses about $40 billion annually due to a lack of energy production, and the losses include the large sums of money that Iraqis spend on buying electricity, losses in the industrial and agricultural sectors, and health problems caused by continuous power outages, as Iraqis buy one ampere from generator owners. About $20 per month, plus expected maintenance costs, and a processing period of up to 14 hours a day.
In turn, the economic expert, Mustafa Akram Hantoush, said in a statement to “Al-Sabah” that “the electricity file is one of the files that have drained the Iraqi economy for 30 years,” noting that “the sums spent on the electricity sector since 2003 exceeded 60 billion dollars, but it did not succeed in solving this problem.”
He added that "40 billion of the amount spent went into the pockets of the corrupt," pointing out that "the current government's move is no different from previous governments regarding this file, as it is still continuing to pump trillions of dinars into the Ministry of Electricity without any benefit."
Hantoush reveals that "there are successful experiences in the world to solve the electricity problem, such as Egypt, Morocco and other countries, by contracting with international companies on credit, providing energy smoothly and activating the collection system correctly."
A report by the International Energy Agency indicates that Iraq's production capacity of electric power is about 32,000 megawatts, but it is unable to generate only half of it due to its ineffective transmission network. It is estimated that Iraq needs 40,000 megawatts of energy to secure its needs. Except for industrial ones.
Similar to what has been happening for years, the Ministry of Electricity provided one of the most important reasons behind the decline in supply hours, as the ministry’s spokesman, Ahmed Moussa, said in a press statement: “The decline in gas emissions has returned to its clear effect on the electricity system, and therefore a number of stations have stopped.” And the loss of an amount ranging from 5 to 6 thousand megawatts ».
According to a report issued by the World Bank, Iraq ranked second in the world for the fourth year in a row among the highest natural gas burning countries, as it came after Russia, followed by the United States and then Iran, and not only that, but the amount of gas that Iraq burns daily according to the data of the International Energy Agency It is sufficient to supply at least 3 million homes with electric power, from which Iraqis have been suffering from scarcity for years.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
» utube 7/2/24 MM&C IQD Update Part 2 - Iraqi Dinar - Automation for Revenues - Singapore Agreement
» utube 7/2/24 MM&C part 1 Iraqi DinarPart 1 - IQD Update - Progession of Intergr
» Iraq's Economy Under the Bullets: How Violence Affects Investment
» Behind the Shadow: Lobbies in America Want to Control Iraq... and Representative Arab: Attempts to Q
» The dollar in the parallel market.. Al-Sudani’s advisor presents a different vision and economic exp
» More than one billion dollars is the volume of trade exchange between Iraq and Brazil
» Two years to complete the project.. Japan continues $ 4.5 billion to build an oil refinery in Iraq
» Bloomberg Survey: OPEC Oil Production in June Stabilizes for Third Month, Here's Iraq's Position
» Chairman of the Securities Commission: The value of traded shares during the first half of 2024 amou
» After decades of neglect.. A government plan to revive Maysan factories
» Law: Maliki’s call for early elections “still stands”
» MP: Washington failed in 5 Iraqi files
» Oil clarifies regarding the employment of national workers in licensing round projects
» Interior Ministry gives citizens 6 months to register and sell their weapons: Life imprisonment awai
» US Ambassador visits Chief Justice
» The National Approach Parliamentary Party calls for the enactment of the Marshlands Law
» Electricity pledges to improve supplies by mid-month
» Prime Minister: We will not deviate from the mission of completing sovereignty
» Joint meeting to unify border crossing procedures
» "Strategic projects" between Iraq and Turkey in the water file
» Transportation: Five platforms nearing completion
» 3.5 million fiber optic lines to homes completed
» Oil companies.. global environmental standards and an absent law
» Rafidain Bank announces the implementation of the comprehensive banking system in the pharmacists’ b
» Iraqi-Pakistani agreement to develop agricultural cooperation in various fields
» "Under Strict Surveillance" Organized Crime Tracks Weapons Buying and Selling on Social Media
» "Public money" returns to the forefront and warnings against its exploitation for election propagand
» Massoud Barzani in Baghdad on Wednesday for the first time in 6 years.. What does he bring?
» 20 products in the first phase.. A three-year plan to revive Maysan factories
» Basra-Aqaba Pipeline.. American orders, Iraqi implementation, and Zionist benefit
» MP: We are waiting for the Foreign Ministry’s response to “Woltz’s” transgression, otherwise we will
» Parliamentary Integrity Commission reveals “routine procedures” that hinder the recovery of smuggled
» State Administration Coalition receives government program report: 68% implemented (video)
» An expert identifies three reasons for the return of the dollar’s rise and confirms: The solution
» Agriculture obliges livestock importers and butchers to set fixed meat prices
» London.. Mohammed Shukri represents the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government at the (
» Health announces deduction rates for those covered by health insurance services
» Parliamentary Finance reveals the effects of the increase in oil prices and its difference in the 20
» Increase in sales of foreign remittances in the Central Bank of Iraq auction
» Barzani to visit Baghdad tomorrow, Wednesday
» Al-Sudani to Palestinian official: Iraq continues efforts to alleviate the suffering of civilians be
» Implementation of the comprehensive banking system of Rafidain Bank in 31 branches
» For the third month in a row, OPEC oil production remains stable
» MPs' opinions differ on the possibility of holding an extraordinary session to decide the position o
» What are the most important files that Massoud Barzani is scheduled to discuss in Baghdad tomorrow?
» Circumstances of “attacking the director of Al-Sha’la Municipality”: Brokers are outlaws, not citize
» The "exceptional" Turkish activity in the north is aided by Iraqi hands.. What is the story of the s
» Difficulty of amending employee salary scales.. What are the obstacles?
» "Baghdad Municipality is watching"... Merchants are violating the laws and taking over the sidewalks
» utube 6/26/24 MM&C IQD Update-Iraqi Dinar-2024 Budget Deficit is Hypothetical-
» MM&C 6/29/24 Dinar Explainer 1: Why Iraq has Two Exchange Rates
» MM&C 6/30/24 RK completes the first phase of the automation project and reveals its revenues within
» Minister of Labor directs preparation of a study on digital transformation within the ministry
» Minister of Labor directs review of controls for granting loans
» A government agreement to activate electronic payment in pharmacies and stores
» Parliamentary Finance reveals the effects of the oil price increase and its differences in the 2023
» The Service Council begins distributing holders of advanced and top diplomas
» Al-Emaar announces investment opportunities for residential cities soon in these governorates
» The Wasit government is discussing the Chinese Oasis Company's oil projects in the governorate
» Telecommunications announces the completion of 3.5 million FTTH fiber optic lines
» The truth about the "Syrian-Turkish" meeting in Baghdad.. What do the three parties benefit from?
» A deputy reveals the reasons for the increase in the number of “blacklisted wanted persons”
» Kurdistan delivers more than 70 billion dinars to the federal government in non-oil revenues for the
» Parliamentary Legal: Laws stalled in Parliament need political consensus
» A joint meeting between the governments of Baghdad and Erbil to unify border crossing procedures
» Al-Sudani: If it weren't for the strong ties, the different clans and figures wouldn't have joined t
» A new decision from the Central Bank regarding granting dollars to travelers
» Parliament is awaiting consensus to approve a package of laws
» Oil Exploration signs a contract to implement seismic surveys for the Khana oil patch with the Chine
» Al-Bajari: The government’s policies towards stopping local factories and laboratories are “shy”
» Joint meeting between the federal government and the region on mechanisms for unifying procedures at
» Al-Rasheed Bank announces raising the salaries of civilian and military retirees for the month of Ju
» Non-oil revenues... Kurdistan Region Finance deposits more than 70 billion dinars in the federal tre
» Minister of Environment: Infrastructure for environmental improvement is considered one of the gover
» The President of the Republic denounces the infringement on the independence of the Iraqi judiciary.
» Parliament considers the control of economic committees the reason for the failure of some ministrie
» Al-Sudani directs to settle expropriations along the development road path
» US Congressional Lobby: Kurdish alliances and the Iraqi opposition against Baghdad
» Al-Sudani emphasizes fortifying the state with the constitution and the law
» Popular Movement: The American Embassy obstructs Iraq’s accession to the Belt and Road Initiative
» Suleiman: There are no government solutions to stop Turkish violations
» State of law: There is no lawsuit against Al-Halbousi despite his conviction for forgery
» Basra Council intends to vote on the 2024 projects plan
» Deputy demands that public opinion be revealed about the importance of the Aqaba pipeline
» Al-Sudani emphasizes fortifying the state and its institutions and enhancing their effectiveness thr
» Economist: The Aqaba pipeline will cost Iraq $28 billion
» Türkiye: We have a strategic agreement on the water file with Iraq
» Iraq hosts a “Turkish-Syrian” meeting with Chinese and Iranian support
» Postponing the distribution of retirees’ salaries until tomorrow due to the bank holiday
» Good news for Iraqi retirees
» Iraqi citizens are surprised by the refusal of government banks to sell dollars to pilgrims
» Baghdad-Erbil dispute delays opening of Yazidi mass grave in Sinjar for 9 years
» A significant increase in foreign remittance sales at the Iraqi Central Auction
» The head of the Media Commission confirms Iraq's commitment to bridging the digital gap
» The Prime Minister's Advisor announces that Iraq has completed its integration steps by providing sa
» Minister of Interior inaugurates advanced color printing factory for national cards
» Most notably, "owning a sufficient number of cars".. Transport clarifies the controls for the work o
» "Joint Projects" Minister of Resources Explains Details of Water Talks with Turkish Side