Iraq to import electricity from Turkiye as link begins operating

The Iraqi government announced that a new power line will bring electricity from Turkiye to its northern provinces as authorities aim to diversify the country’s energy sources to ease chronic power outages.

The 115-kilometer (71-mile) line connects to the Kisik power station, west of Mosul, and will provide 300 megawatts (MW) from Turkiye to Iraq’s northern provinces of Nineveh, Salah Al-Din and Kirkuk, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s office.

Prime Minister, Mohamed Shia Al Sudani, said the new line was a “strategic” step to link Iraq with its neighbouring countries.

“The line started operating today,” Ahmed Moussa, spokesperson for the Electricity Ministry, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Decades of war have left Iraq’s infrastructure in a dire state, with power cuts worsening the blistering summer when temperatures often reach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).

Many households have just a few hours of mains electricity per day, and those who can afford it use private generators to keep fridges and air conditioners running.

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