Iran Halts Gas Exports to Neighboring Iraq amid Surge in Domestic Demand

Iran has temporarily halted its natural Gas Exports to Iraq due to a sharp rise in domestic demand for heating.

A Tuesday report by the Iraqi News Agency cited a statement from the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity’s spokesman, saying that Iran had officially notified Iraq of a complete halt in gas deliveries due to “emergency circumstances.”

Ahmed Musa said the suspension of gas imports from Iran has caused Iraq to lose up to 4.5 gigawatts of electricity generation capacity. He added that Iraq has introduced interim measures, including increasing the supply of domestic fuel to power plants, to manage the shortfall.

The National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) has not yet commented on the statement from Iraqi authorities. However, the suspension comes amid reports of a sharp rise in gas demand in Iran following a cold spell that has pushed temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius in parts of the country.

NIGC figures released on Tuesday showed that household, commercial, and industrial gas consumption reached more than 655 million cubic meters (mcm) over the previous 24 hours, with household heating accounting for the bulk of the demand.

Iran is a major supplier of natural gas to Iraq, which relies on imports from Iran for 43% of its electricity generation. In recent months, Iran has supplied an average of up to 50 mcm of natural gas daily to Iraq, despite growing US pressure aimed at curbing energy trade between the two countries. - Press TV