Iraqi official blames power outages in Diyala on Iranian power line shutdown

Shafaq News/ A member of Diyala Governorate Council, Aws al-Mahdawi, on Saturday, attributed the power outages in Diyala, especially in Khanaqin, to the shutdown of the Iranian power line that feeds the governorate, assuring that the power line has been gradually restored.

"To our people in Diyala, especially the people of my city Khanaqin, we clarify that the reason for the decline in the power service is due to the shutdown of the Iranian line 706, 707 Sarpol-e Zahab and Mirsad," al-Mahdawi said in a statement to Shafaq News Agency.

He added that "after contacting the authorities, the Iranian line to Diyala, line 706 and 707 Sarpol-e Zahab, is being restarted (gradually)."

Decades of war have left the country's infrastructure in a pitiful state, with power cuts worsening the blistering summer when temperatures often reach 50 Celsius mostly in southern governorates. 

Iraq is the second-largest oil producer in the OPEC cartel, but despite having immense oil and gas reserves, it remains dependent on imports to meet its energy needs.

Neighboring Iran supplies about a third of its power sector requirements.

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.

Anger over corruption, unemployment, and blackouts helped to fuel deadly protests from late 2019 to mid-2020.

The protests morphed into an unprecedented anti-government movement, mostly across southern Iraq and in Baghdad, before a security crackdown killed more than 600 people.