In anticipation of the upcoming summer season, the Iraqi Electricity Ministry is actively seeking to secure gas supplies from Sulaimani’s Khor Mor gas field. The move aims to prevent potential power shortages during the warmer months, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the ministry in a statement to Rudaw on Wednesday.

Ahmed Mousa, the ministry's spokesperson, emphasized the strategic importance of procuring gas from Khor Mor, citing its quality and its capacity to meet the energy demands of power stations in the northern region of Iraq, particularly the Kurdistan Region.

Khor Mor, situated in Sulaimani province’s Chamchamal district, plays a pivotal role in the region's energy landscape, boasting a daily gas production rate of 452 million standard cubic feet.

According to Ahmed al-Abadi, another spokesperson for the Iraqi Electricity Ministry, the current daily power production ranges between 19,000 to 20,000 megawatts. However, the ministry aims to bolster this figure to 27,000 megawatts by May 1, with plans underway to introduce an additional 5,000 megawatts to the national grid by year-end.

Iraq has traditionally relied on gas imports from neighboring Iran to fuel its power generation plants, a dependency that has persisted despite Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani's aspirations to enhance the country's gas sector and attain energy self-sufficiency within five years.

The decision to tap into domestic gas reserves underscores Iraq's strategic intent to diversify its energy sources and reduce dependency on external suppliers, marking a significant step towards achieving energy autonomy and ensuring stability in the country's power supply.