Fuel shortage sparks protests over Kirkuk power cuts
Shafaq News- Kirkuk
Residents in two parts of Kirkuk, northern Iraq, took to the streets on Friday after private electricity generators ran out of fuel, cutting a vital source of power as Iraq sweltered under high temperatures.
In the Tareq Company area, residents gathered to demand the immediate restart of generators and the supply of kerosene. Abdullah Ahmed, a Kirkuk resident, told Shafaq News that families rely heavily on private generators to fill the gap when the national electricity supply cuts out, making the stoppage particularly difficult in the heat.
Similar protests broke out in the agricultural Al-Askari neighborhood after its private generator stopped operating. Some protesters blocked roads and burned tires, demanding the resumption of power.
The head of the Kirkuk Generators Association, Thamer Al-Ishaqi, rejected claims that generator operators were staging a coordinated strike, attributing the shutdowns to a shortage of commercial fuel.
"Some generators had stopped because commercial kerosene was unavailable, while government-supplied fuel had run out on Aug. 9 and 10," he added, noting that the shortage had pushed the price of a 200-liter barrel of kerosene to about 240,000 Iraqi dinars ($183) on the commercial market.
Al-Ishaqi estimated that the disruption could be resolved as early as Saturday if local officials and the provincial governor intervened to secure fuel supplies.
Power shortages remain a major source of public frustration in Iraq, particularly during summer, when temperatures often exceed 50°C and millions depend on private generators. Peak demand has exceeded 60,000 megawatts, while generation stands at around 20,000 MW, leaving a shortfall of nearly 40,000 MW. The Electricity Ministry attributes the gap partly to illegal grid connections and shortages in natural gas supplies caused by regional conflict and disruptions linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Read more: Beyond 50°C: How decades of conflict are heating Iraq
