Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq needs 60,000 megawatts of electricity but is currently producing only 20,000 MW after losing about 7,000 MW of generating capacity in recent months, Electricity Minister Ali Saadi Wahib told parliament on Monday.

Independent MP Amer Abdul Jabbar said he proposed equipping the Electricity Ministry headquarters with solar power systems through private investment before expanding the model to other ministries and government institutions.

"The proposal would disconnect government institutions from the national grid, helping reduce electricity consumption and ease pressure on the public network," Abdul Jabbar stated to Shafaq News, noting that the Electricity Ministry had spent about 8 trillion Iraqi dinars on employee salaries over the past three years.

Meanwhile, the member of the Badr bloc led by al-Ameri, Jaafar Al-Zamili, stated that Wahib pledged before parliament to resolve the electricity crisis within 15 days by securing an agreement with Iran to increase natural gas supplies to Iraqi power plants, allowing the ministry to restore 9,000 MW to the national grid. “Iraq's upcoming official visit to Turkiye will also include discussions on importing electricity and resuming natural gas supplies from the Kurdistan Region to power stations.”

Read more: Iraq adds new power supplies from Turkiye and Kurdistan Region

The parliament hosted the Electricity Minister during its seventh session of the sixth electoral term to discuss the deterioration of the country's electricity sector, with senior ministry officials also attending.

Last week, Wahib informed the parliament that completing electricity interconnection projects with neighboring countries and reducing transmission losses would help increase power generation and improve electricity supply in the coming period.

Over the past weeks, the Electricity Ministry has seen major leadership shifts. Minister Wahib replaced several distribution heads, suspended senior officials during ongoing inquiries, and sent dozens of staff members to the Integrity Commission for alleged corruption and neglect.

Chronic power outages remain a source of public anger in Iraq, where extreme summer heat regularly tops 50°C (122°F) and forces millions to depend on private generators. The ministry said that summer power demand now exceeds 60,000 megawatts, leaving a shortfall of nearly 40,000 megawatts. Officials blame this massive gap on unauthorized grid tapping, alongside severe natural gas shortages caused by regional instability and disruptions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Read more: Beyond 50°C: How decades of conflict are heating Iraq