Ministry says explosions at Baghdad power plant was caused by technical fault

Shafaq News/ Iraq's Ministry of Electricity on Wednesday issued a clarification regarding an incident at the Dora Thermal Power Plant that involved four explosions and a fire.

In a statement, the ministry said that the "fire and explosions at the Dora Thermal Power Plant were caused by a technical fault in the fifth generating unit."

The fault caused the safety valve (AUXILIARY) to open, and "maintenance teams are working to repair the fault within the next few hours," the statement added.

The incident comes as Iraq is facing a severe power shortage, with parts of the country experiencing daily outages of up to 20 hours. The government has been struggling to meet the country's electricity demand, which has been growing rapidly in recent years.

The Dora Thermal Power Plant is one of the largest power plants in Iraq, with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts. The plant is located in the Dora district of Baghdad, about 20 kilometers south of the city center.

The incident at the Dora Thermal Power Plant is the latest in a series of setbacks for Iraq's electricity sector. In July 2023, a fire at the Basra Thermal Power Plant caused extensive damage and forced the plant to be shut down.

Many households subscribe to neighbourhood generators for emergency supplies, if they can afford it, as the country suffers regular outages during the summer.

Iraq is an oil-rich country, but its dilapidated power grid remains incapable of meeting peak demand during hot summers, leaving many without electricity as temperatures rise.

Protests over unreliable power supplies have been common in Iraq, with the most recent taking place earlier this month.

In addition to importing electricity from neighbouring countries like Iran, the government has been expanding its electricity generation capacity. But ministry figures say it still lacks the capacity to meet an estimated demand of 32,000 megawatts a day in the country.

In June 2023, Iraq signed a $27bn agreement with France's TotalEnergies, the largest foreign investment in Iraq’s history, to generate power using natural gas.

Many hope the deal will help resolve the country’s longstanding energy woes, attract international investors and reduce its reliance on imports.