Large protest erupts in Najaf over electricity shortages

Shafaq News/ A large protest broke out in the city center of Najaf on Monday as residents took to the streets to decry poor electricity supply across the Governorate.

Eyewitnesses reported to Shafaq News agency that dozens of demonstrators in Al-Shorta neighborhood of central Najaf burned tires in the streets, voicing their frustration over inconsistent and inadequate power provision in their area and other parts of the Governorate.

Residents of Najaf city have long complained about the poor electricity supply, citing frequent outages even during scheduled supply periods. The problems are attributed to the outdated national grid, which has not seen significant upgrades in many years, exacerbating the city's power woes during the sweltering summer months.

Notably, Iraq needs 35,000 megawatts of electricity daily. Still, due to the current conditions in the country, it only produces 20,000 megawatts daily, with one-third of this electricity supplied by gas imported from Iran.

Though Baghdad has sought to diversify its electricity supply through overtures to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Jordan, and Kuwait, progress is not sufficiently developed.