Fire, Blasts Hit Iraq’s Electric Grid (Photos)

The aftermath of the fire at the al-Bkir substation in Basra. Via Twitter.

Power was cut off in most of Iraq’s central and southern regions on July 29 during scorching summer heat and observances of the Shia holy day of Ashura after a fire broke out at a power station.

In a statement the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity said that the fire at the al-Bkir substation in the southern city of Basra resulted in the separation of transmission lines linking the southern and central regions, leading to a complete shutdown of the electrical system there.

Ahmed Moussa, a spokesman for the ministry, told AFP that the outage at some point affected the main supply to “all of Iraq”. Temperatures in the country were around 47 degree Celsius at the time of the outage.

Furthermore, the company that handles electricity transmission in the north said in a statement that the northern transmission line in a remote area outside the city of Haditha had been sabotaged. Three towers were hit by improvised explosive devices, putting the line out of service, the statement said.

The company did not say who was responsible for the attack, but ISIS cells have been known to be active in this part of Iraq. The Ministry of Electricity ordered the formation of committees to investigate both incidents.

One of the electric towers which were targeted near Haditha. Via Twitter.

There was also a fire at night at the electricity substation in the Jamila neighborhood, located within Sadr City in eastern Baghdad. The Iraqi Civil Defense said that the fire was “intentionally set”.

The fire at Jamila substation in Baghdad. Via Twitter.

The fires and blasts come on the Shia religious holiday of Ashura, a mourning period when many public gatherings are held by Shia Muslims.

Iraq is an oil-rich country. However, it has been struggling to secure its electricity needs since its grid was destroyed by the United States and its allies in the 90s. Last month, the country signed a $27 billion agreement with France’s TotalEnergies that many hope will help resolve the long standing electricity crisis, attract international investors and reduce reliance on gas imports from neighboring Iran.

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