Iraq: Power plants once again supplied with Iranian gas

Power plants in Iraq are once again being supplied with Iranian gas, Iraqi authorities said Saturday, after a three-day interruption caused by Israeli strikes on strategic gas facilities in Iran.

Tehran had condemned Wednesday the strikes on facilities linked to the massive South Pars/North Dome gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar. Following this, Iraq said its imports of Iranian gas, crucial for powering its electricity plants, had been “completely interrupted.”

On Saturday, “deliveries of Iranian gas to Iraq have resumed,” said ministry spokesperson Ahmad Moussa, as quoted by the state-run INA news agency. These imports currently amount to about 5 million cubic meters per day, he said.

Iraq relies on neighboring Iran for electricity and gas, meeting about one-third of its energy needs. Even before the war in the Middle East began, the country, a major hydrocarbon producer with failing infrastructure, had suffered in recent years from irregular Iranian gas supplies.

Deliveries have often dropped or been interrupted due to technical problems, increased domestic consumption in Iran, or delays in Iraqi payments. As a result, in recent months Iraq has received only between 5 million and 6 million cubic meters per day, compared with the 25 million expected during winter months, according to the Ministry of Electricity.