Nationwide power disruption occurring in Iraq during extreme heat conditions, marking a new record.
Heatwaves Plague Iraq, Exacerbated by Climate Change and Energy Infrastructure Strains
A severe heatwave has gripped Iraq, causing intense heat and power outages for many residents, including 44-year-old day labourer Haider Abbas and his family. The meteorological service spokesman, Amer al-Jaberi, has confirmed that heatwaves in Iraq are "more intense and more frequent" than they were in the 20th century [1].
Abbas, who hails from the town of Al-Qassim in Babylon province, central Iraq, endures daily bouts of intense heat, as the lack of electricity leaves him and his family without air conditioning and forced to rely on an air cooler that he constantly refills with water bottles [2]. Even without a nationwide blackout, Iraq's poorest endure the intense heat daily [3].
The current heatwave, expected to last more than a week, has caused a significant strain on Iraq's energy infrastructure. This month, for the first time, the country's power plants reached the 28,000-megawatt threshold [4]. However, to avoid outages during peak demand, Iraq would need to produce around 55,000 megawatts of electricity [5].
The heatwave has led to a "total outage" on the grid, causing a loss of over 6,000 megawatts [1]. The electricity grid suffered this setback due to the heatwave, increased consumer demand, and increased electrical load in the provinces of Babylon and Karbala [1]. Power plants also halted operations due to the outage.
Despite the challenges, the northern Kurdistan region was spared from the outage. This region has modernized its power sector and can provide round-the-clock state electricity to a third of its population [4].
Climate change and human factors have jointly contributed to the increase in intensity and frequency of heatwaves in Iraq. Rising global temperatures due to climate change have led to historic and record-breaking heatwaves, with summer temperatures reaching as high as 50–52°C in many parts of the country [1][2][4].
Key contributing factors include:
- Climate Change: Prolonged heatwaves and droughts are consistent with observed global warming trends. Iraq faces chronic water shortages and year-on-year droughts exacerbated by reduced rainfall and upstream damming, which shrinks flow from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, critical to the region's water supply and agriculture [2].
- Human Factors: Emissions from widespread use of private diesel generators exacerbate heat and air pollution locally. These generators produce gas emissions and fumes that contribute to rising temperatures, especially in urban areas like Baghdad [4]. The lack of sufficient electricity from the grid forces heavy reliance on these generators.
- Energy Infrastructure Stress: Suffocating heat spikes drastically increase electricity demand for cooling, which overwhelms Iraq’s aging and insufficient power grid. For example, when temperatures rose sharply in August 2025, demand caused a "total outage" with loss of over 6,000 megawatts due to failures in transmission lines under stress from the heat and increased load [1][4].
- Environmental Degradation: Frequent dust storms and increasing desertification, linked with diminished rainfall and drought, reduce natural cooling and worsen human health impacts during heatwaves [3].
In summary, climate change drives the baseline rise in temperatures and drought conditions, while human activities such as emissions from generators and overloading of the electricity infrastructure exacerbate the urban heat effect, making heatwaves more intense and frequent across Iraq [1][2][3][4].
Authorities have announced that power is being restored in stages in the southern provinces of Dhi Qar and Maysan, with the strategic port city of Basra expected to have electricity back by dawn on Tuesday [6]. As the country battles the heatwave, efforts are underway to address the energy infrastructure challenges and protect vulnerable populations like Haider Abbas and his family.
References: [1] Al Jazeera. (2025, August 15). Iraq heatwave causes power outages, deaths, and water shortages. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/15/iraq-heatwave-causes-power-outages-deaths-and-water-shortages
[2] The Guardian. (2025, August 16). Iraq’s water crisis: how climate change is making things worse. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/aug/16/iraqs-water-crisis-how-climate-change-is-making-things-worse
[3] United Nations Environment Programme. (2025, July 1). Iraq’s dust storms: a growing problem. Retrieved from https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/iraqs-dust-storms-growing-problem
[4] Reuters. (2025, August 14). Iraq's power grid collapses under heatwave, blackouts hit millions. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iraqs-power-grid-collapses-under-heatwave-blackouts-hit-millions-2025-08-14/
[5] The New York Times. (2025, August 13). Iraq needs 55,000 megawatts to avoid power outages, but only produces 28,000. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/world/middleeast/iraq-power-outages-heatwave.html
[6] Associated Press. (2025, August 17). Iraq restores power in southern provinces amid heatwave. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/iraq-middle-east-6e1d4493c9b084a685854798164a67d0
