Power supplies in Iraq’s southern provinces of Basra, Maysan and Dhi Qar went completely down on 14 June due to a technical issue at the 720MW Shuaiba power plant in Basra.
Ministry of Electricity spokesperson Ahmed Musa told local Iraqi media that a transformer had malfunctioned at the plant knocking offline a transmission line. Iraq’s electricity grid is integrated and centrally controlled. Typically, the loss of a high-capacity transmission line complicates the evacuation of power from plants connected to the grid, leading to a complete shut-down. (CONTINUED - 204 WORDS)