Turkey halts electricity supplies to Iraq

[k98nights]

Turkey halts electricity supplies to Iraq

By Khayoun Saleh

Azzaman, January 30, 2011

Turkey has stopped the flow of electricity to Iraq, plunging the Iraqi Kurdish Province of Dahouk into darkness.

Under an agreement, which the government has refused to renew, Turkey used to export 150 megawatts to Dahouk.

The government did not say why it refused to renew the deal, but an Electricity Ministry official said the government was trying to strike a new deal with other Turkish suppliers.

“The deal was signed on condition it should not be renewed. This what the Electricity Ministry had recommended for the government,” said the official, Musaid al-Mudaris.

Iraq imports electricity from neighboring states, namely Turkey, Iran and Syria. The power import bill costs the treasury hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

But despite the imports and billions of dollars in investments, electricity supplies are insufficient and major Iraqi cities go with power for nearly 20 hours a day.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2011-01-30\kurd.htm

[Carrello]

I saw a report on this last week. With everything going on in the ME as far revolt and demonstration, this seems to be a situation that you would want to handle right away. Even without the problems, the government should have had this taken care of long before the contract ran out. This could be a tipping point for people that are already in a situation similar to the lower class Egyptians.

Seriously, what is wrong over there? Potholes, okay.......electricity...not so much.

[aferriss]

I guess they're not going to get it until all kind of stuff breaks loose. And then what? Only God knows.