The government has allocated USD 4.7 billion to build power plants and finance existing projects this year, an electricity ministry spokesperson told Zawya.
"As part of its 2014 plan, the Ministry of Electricity requested a budget of USD 12 billion to complete existing projects and to sign new contracts to compensate for the fluctuating shortage (of power), but the government only approved USD 4.7 billion," said Masaab Al-Mudarris.
Production capacity currently stands at 12,100 megawatts (MW), while actual demand is 16,500 MW.
The Ministry of Electricity aims to produce an additional 7,500 MW by the end of 2014 and another 7,500 MW by the end of 2015.
Construction of four power plants was completed last year, but they are not yet operational due to gas shortages. The stations are: Rumaila (in Basra) with a capacity of 1,460 MW, Mansuriya (in Diyala) with 730 MW, Akkaz (in Anbar) with 250 MW, and Alekiarp (in Nineveh) with 750 MW.
Iraq spent about USD 27 billion between 2003 and 2012 to rehabilitate the power sector after decades of war and sanctions, but widespread corruption in the country has hindered development efforts and power outages continue.
© Zawya 2014
