Shafaq News- Basra
Basra, southern Iraq, has entered a scheduled electricityrationing system for the first time in years, receiving four hours of powersupply followed by two hours of outages.
A technical source told Shafaq News that electricitygeneration in Basra reached 3,287 megawatts at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, while demandclimbed to 3,596 megawatts, noting that the electricity import line from Iranremains out of service.
Basra has traditionally been exempt from Iraq’s scheduledpower cuts due to its extreme summer temperatures and its strategic importanceas the country’s main oil-producing province.
The shortfall between generation and demand promptedauthorities to implement power rationing measures to maintain grid stabilityand prevent a potential collapse caused by excessive loads, the source added.
Basra Provincial Council member Sabah Al-Bazouni told ShafaqNews that the local government opposes including the province in the rationingsystem, stressing that Basra’s electricity situation differs from that of otherprovinces due to significant investments made from local budgets in powerprojects over recent years.
Al-Bazouni acknowledged a clear decline in electricitysupply hours and called on the federal government to take urgent steps toaddress the crisis, including exempting residents from electricity bills duringthe summer season.
Meanwhile, Basra witnessed growing calls in several northernand central districts for demonstrations demanding improved electricity supplyand rapid solutions to the power crisis, as the province continues to endureextreme heat.
According to data from the Operations and Control Departmentat the Southern Control Center, gas supplies to the province have fallen fromabout 28 million cubic meters during the summer of 2025 to roughly 9 millioncubic meters currently, alongside the suspension of imported gas supplies. As aresult, electricity production has dropped from 6,700 megawatts to around 3,150megawatts.
Power availability has also declined from a schedule of fivehours of supply followed by one hour of outage last summer to the currentfour-hour supply and two-hour outage system, with further reductions expectedduring peak summer demand.
The highest supplied load reached 5,150 megawatts in thesummer of 2025, the data showed, in addition to current supply ranging between3,500 and 4,000 megawatts, while the province’s estimated demand is expected toreach 5,500 megawatts during the summer of 2026.
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