Iran resumes electricity export to Iraq
Iran resumed export of electric power to Iraq after it had been halted for more than two months, the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity disclosed in a statement.
The suspension of supply was said to have been due to Baghdad’s accumulated debts to the Iranian government, middleeastmonitor.com reported.
“The Iranian side will restart power lines to work after a hiatus of more than two months because of the accumulation of debt,” the ministry statement said on Tuesday.
The statement added that the operation of these lines will add 1,300 megawatts to the national grid.
Last January, Iran suspended electricity supplies, represented in five power lines, to Iraq due to arrears, which have accumulated to $1 billion.
In July 2016, Iran partially halted electricity supplies coming through power lines which provide Iraq 800 MW of electric power. The two lines’ services were resumed after the government in Baghdad paid $350 million as part of its debt for power imports.
The Islamic Republic supplies Iraq with about 1,500-2,000 MW of electricity based on an agreement between the two countries in 2005.
An official source at the ministry told Anadolu Agency that the resumption of electric power supplies to Iraq came after a recent visit by an Iraqi official delegation to Tehran, during which the two countries agreed on the repayment of the debts in three installments. According to the source, the contract to sell power to Iraq was renewed until the end of 2017.
The source, who preferred anonymity, explained that the power supplies halt had directly affected the Diyala, Wasit, and Basra provinces.
Most of the Iraqi provinces suffer power cuts for long periods, particularly during the cold weather as Iraqis predominately rely on electrical heaters.