Summer crisis looms as wartime disruptions hit Iraq’s power sector

Iraq's electricity grid has survived two months of wartime disruptions by relying on every backup option at the government's disposal — a short-term success story that also signals a longer-term risk as the high-demand summer season approaches.

The war in Iran and the closure of Iraq's southern oil exports initially seemed to pose a dire threat to domestic electricity supply. Production cuts at oil fields caused steep reductions in the associated gas that is produced along with crude, which normally accounts for the largest share of Iraq's power plant feedstock.