Iraq electricity generation hits 24,700 MW amid 60,000 MW demand deficit

The Mosul Dam hydroelectric power plant. Photo: Iraqi Electricity Ministry Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq’s national electricity output reached 24,700 megawatts during September 2026, according to figures released by the Ministry of Electricity on Monday, September 14. In remarks published by the official state newspaper, an official from the ministry’s media office highlighted that technical teams are actively working to capture additional generation capacity as several critical generating units return to service following scheduled maintenance cycles across Baghdad and the provinces. Among key infrastructure upgrades under development, the ministry pointed to steady progress on the combined-cycle conversion project at the Diwaniyah gas-fired power station, contracted to a Chinese engineering firm. With completion levels currently standing at 48%, the expansion is engineered to inject an initial 264 megawatts into the Middle Euphrates regional grid upon commissioning, directly improving grid stability and daily distribution hours without burning additional primary fuel. Federal energy strategies in recent years have increasingly relied on such combined-cycle retrofits alongside nascent solar installations to bridge capacity gaps and ease operational strain on traditional thermal facilities. Despite these generation increments, the national grid continues to confront an overwhelming structural deficit. Industry experts emphasize that escalating demographic expansion, rapid urban sprawling, and rising industrial loads continue to outpace generation additions, leaving a massive supply deficit against Iraq’s actual domestic demand threshold of roughly 60,000 megawatts. With generation lingering at less than half of peak requirements, authorities face persistent pressure to address systemic bottlenecks spanning transmission, distribution, and fuel feedstock to meaningfully mitigate chronic nationwide load shedding.