Low tide for Iraq's hydropower plants

Confronted by a shrinking water supply and increasing demands for electricity, Iraq is planning to replace its hydroelectric power plants with more than two dozen gas power stations throughout the country.

Officials with Iraq's Electricity Ministry said the country cannot rely on hydroelectric power as it once did due to record-low water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which have exacerbated the country's chronic energy shortfalls.

Adel Mahdi, the Electricity Minister's adviser...