Heatwave, Power Overload Trigger National Blackout in Iraq

2025-08-12 04:19:03

(MENAFN) A sudden failure in Iraq’s power transmission lines on Monday plunged the entire country into darkness, officials confirmed.

Mohammed Nema, undersecretary for production affairs at the Electricity Ministry, reported that technical teams are actively repairing the fault and have begun a gradual restoration of service, with full power expected within hours.

Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Musa told media the blackout stemmed from an overload in the power system, especially in Babylon province and the Shiite holy city of Karbala, where millions of pilgrims are gathered for the Arbaeen religious ritual.

He explained that soaring temperatures, increased electricity demand, and heavy loads forced transmission lines to disconnect, removing over 6,000 megawatts from the grid. This abrupt drop, he added, caused a spike in the frequency of generating units, prompting their automatic shutdown.

Iraq has been grappling with an intense heatwave in recent days, with temperatures soaring to nearly 50 degrees Celsius in multiple provinces, putting further pressure on the nation’s fragile power infrastructure.

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