BAGHDAD, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Iraq has commenced the gradual resumption of Iranian gas imports to stabilize its national grid after a temporary suspension caused by an attack on Iran's South Pars gas field, the Ministry of Electricity said Saturday.
The ministry's spokesperson, Ahmed Musa, told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the flow of Iranian gas to Iraq resumed at a rate of five million cubic meters per day to reinforce its national power system.
Musa said that Iraqi power plants were recently affected by the suspension of Iranian gas imports following the attacks on the South Pars gas field, prompting the electricity and oil ministries to use domestic gas and gas oil to maintain capacity.
With the return of Iranian supply, Iraq's national grid stabilized its production at 14,000 megawatts, Musa said, adding the ministry remains on schedule to prepare for peak summer demand.
On Wednesday, Musa told INA that Iranian gas flows to Iraq had completely stopped, noting that "the loss of 3,100 MW will certainly affect the system."
The disruption follows reports from Israeli media earlier Wednesday that the Israeli air force struck a major natural gas facility in Iran's southern city of Bushehr.
Iraq, long plagued by chronic power shortages, remains heavily reliant on Iranian gas for its grid. Meanwhile, the government is pursuing projects to capture associated gas for self-sufficiency.
The resumption of energy supplies comes amid heightened regional tensions following the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran that began on Feb. 28, which has repeatedly disrupted energy infrastructure and transit routes across the Middle East. ■
