Iraq s grid-side energy storage subsidy policy

Does Iraq have a reliable electricity grid?

Now, two decades after the 2003 US invasion, Iraq has failed to see improvements in the electricity infrastructure. Although the disparity between supply and demand is widening due to population increase and rising temperatures, corruption remains the largest obstacle to a reliable electricity grid.

Will Iraq be able to connect to the GCC electricity grid?

Another planned power initiative aims to connect Iraq to the GCC electrical grid. This endeavor envisions delivering 1.8 gigawatts of electricity by 2025, stretching from the al-Wafra station in Kuwait to Iraq’s Al-Faw station in the south.

Will IEA support Iraq's Energy reforms?

As Iraq’s newly formed government begins to tackle the long list of considerable challenges it faces, the IEA stands ready to support the country in its efforts to enact the reforms that will help its energy sector – and its economy – meet its vast potential.

Is foreign help enough to fix Iraq's energy problems?

Foreign help is not enough to fix energy issues, domestic reform is necessary. This past July, Iraq and France’s TotalEnergies finalized the Gas Growth Integrated Project, a $27 billion energy deal aimed at Iraq’s natural resources and improving the country’s electricity supply.

Should Iraq rethink its economic reform strategy?

The current oil market dynamics suggest that it would be unwise to base an economic reform strategy on hopes that oil prices will recover imminently. There are a limited number of policy levers that Iraq can pull to shore up its current position. Electricity subsidies cost the state around USD 12 billion per year.

Why is government financing a major infrastructure project in Iraq a problem?

The current model, which favours government financing of large infrastructure projects across the sector, is prohibitively burdensome at times of depressed oil revenues and risks indefinite delays to projects that are crucial to Iraq’s economic development.