Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Electricity output meets only half of domestic needs
Electricity
(Azzaman) - The Ministry of Electricity has finally acknowledged its inability to meet the country’s needs, blaming the current chronic shortages on lack of fuel. Informed sources at the ministry said current output was less than half what the country needs amid soaring temperatures brushing 50 degrees centigrade. The sources said electrical generation capacity is even worse than in the months before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
The ministry blames the present prolonged outages, which may continue non-stop in certain areas for several consecutive days, on fuel shortages. Rows are reported to have broken out at cabinet meetings between Oil Minister Hussain Shahristani and Electricity Minister Kareem Hassan over fuel supplies. Hassan is said to have accused Shahristani of failing to honor commitments to supply power stations with their fuel needs, saying that much of the reduced capacity is due to stoppages caused by lack of fuel.
Deputy Prime Minister Burham Saleh, who heads the government’s economic commission, has said Shahristani has consistently showed “non-commitment to make available the fuel quantities the Ministry of Electricity needs.” Besides power problems, the country faces severe fuel shortages with refineries running at much below capacity. Iraq currently spends hundreds of millions of dollars on fuel imports from neighboring countries.
Aziz Shammari of the Electricity Ministry said the country had never witnessed “this kind of power crisis” since the 1990s when punitive U.N. trade sanctions were still in placed. “Electricity generation can hardly meet half of the country’s needs. Power output has never been as worse as it is today since 2003,” Shammari said.
The ministry blames the present prolonged outages, which may continue non-stop in certain areas for several consecutive days, on fuel shortages. Rows are reported to have broken out at cabinet meetings between Oil Minister Hussain Shahristani and Electricity Minister Kareem Hassan over fuel supplies. Hassan is said to have accused Shahristani of failing to honor commitments to supply power stations with their fuel needs, saying that much of the reduced capacity is due to stoppages caused by lack of fuel.
Deputy Prime Minister Burham Saleh, who heads the government’s economic commission, has said Shahristani has consistently showed “non-commitment to make available the fuel quantities the Ministry of Electricity needs.” Besides power problems, the country faces severe fuel shortages with refineries running at much below capacity. Iraq currently spends hundreds of millions of dollars on fuel imports from neighboring countries.
Aziz Shammari of the Electricity Ministry said the country had never witnessed “this kind of power crisis” since the 1990s when punitive U.N. trade sanctions were still in placed. “Electricity generation can hardly meet half of the country’s needs. Power output has never been as worse as it is today since 2003,” Shammari said.
Labels: Dr. Burham Saleh, fuel shortages, Hussain al-Shahristani, Kareem Hassan, Ministry of Electricity
Monday, May 14, 2007
Food shortage possible as lack of fuel hampers harvesting
Fuel, Food
(Azzaman) - Hundreds of farmers in the agricultural province of Wasit have demonstrated against lack of fuel for their agricultural machines and tools. The farmers, who assembled at the mayor’s headquarters in the provincial capital Kut, said fuel shortages were preventing them from harvesting this year.
They raised placards and shouted slogans denouncing the government and the Oil Ministry for failing to make fuel available at a time the country sits on massive oil reserves. Salman al-Awsi warned that the shortages, if not alleviated, will eventually lead to the destruction of this year’s grain produce. Wasit is major wheat, barely and rice producer in the country.
Awsi said prices of fuel on the spot market were beyond many farmers’ reach. “If we buy from the black market that means the costs of planting and harvesting will soar,” he said. He said huge swathes of agricultural land planted with grains cannot be harvested because of lack of fuel. “There are more than 6,000 families whose livelihood depends on having the crops harvested as soon as possible,” he said.
Iraq faces acute fuel shortages and its refineries which met domestic needs under the former regime of Saddam Hussein are working much below capacity, forcing the authorities to import huge volume to meet demand.
They raised placards and shouted slogans denouncing the government and the Oil Ministry for failing to make fuel available at a time the country sits on massive oil reserves. Salman al-Awsi warned that the shortages, if not alleviated, will eventually lead to the destruction of this year’s grain produce. Wasit is major wheat, barely and rice producer in the country.
Awsi said prices of fuel on the spot market were beyond many farmers’ reach. “If we buy from the black market that means the costs of planting and harvesting will soar,” he said. He said huge swathes of agricultural land planted with grains cannot be harvested because of lack of fuel. “There are more than 6,000 families whose livelihood depends on having the crops harvested as soon as possible,” he said.
Iraq faces acute fuel shortages and its refineries which met domestic needs under the former regime of Saddam Hussein are working much below capacity, forcing the authorities to import huge volume to meet demand.
Labels: farmers, fuel shortages, Kut, Wassit
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Fuel shortages bring Mosul to a standstill
Fuel
(Azzaman) - Fuel shortages have almost brought life to a standstill in the northern city of Mosul. The severe crisis started with the suspension of fuel imports from Syria since March 22. “We now receive less than 10% of the province’s fuel needs,” said the commission in charge of fuel distribution in northern Iraq in a statement.
Mosul, the capital of the Province of Nineveh, is the third largest city in Iraq and is a major anti-U.S. rebel stronghold in the country. The statement said the whole province had access to about 4% of its gasoline needs and only 2% of liquefied gas used for cooking. The statement said the refineries in Baiji were working below capacity and their inventories were almost empty.
It said the shortages have brought essential services to a grinding halt. State-run silos were idle and they have stopped delivering or receiving grain and the provincial authorities could not hand out food rations because trucks in the province were without fuel.
“Even hospitals are suffering. Water and sewage systems are bearing the brunt,” the statement said. It said transport fees have skyrocketed and pupils and students cannot make it to their schools and colleges. Power shortages were even worse as supplies from the national grid were off for nearly 20 hours a day.
Mosul, the capital of the Province of Nineveh, is the third largest city in Iraq and is a major anti-U.S. rebel stronghold in the country. The statement said the whole province had access to about 4% of its gasoline needs and only 2% of liquefied gas used for cooking. The statement said the refineries in Baiji were working below capacity and their inventories were almost empty.
It said the shortages have brought essential services to a grinding halt. State-run silos were idle and they have stopped delivering or receiving grain and the provincial authorities could not hand out food rations because trucks in the province were without fuel.
“Even hospitals are suffering. Water and sewage systems are bearing the brunt,” the statement said. It said transport fees have skyrocketed and pupils and students cannot make it to their schools and colleges. Power shortages were even worse as supplies from the national grid were off for nearly 20 hours a day.
Labels: fuel shortages, Mosul
