TEHRAN (ecoideal)- Iran resumed electricity exports to the neighboring countries, including Iraq, a senior energy official said.
"We have resumed power exports to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan," Spokesman of Iran Power Transmission, Generation and Distribution Company (Tavanir) Mahmoud Reza Haqqifam said on Tuesday.
He underlined that Iran will continue to export its surplus capacity that has economic and political benefits for the country.
"We are now exporting 200 to 250 megawatt of electricity to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan which we will increase to levels agreed in our contracts with the mentioned countries,” Haqqifahm added.
Iraq is the biggest importer of electricity from Iran. Iraq needs more than 23,000 megawatts of additional electricity to meet domestic demand after decades of war and blockade following the US invasion left its power infrastructure in tatters.
Iran cut off electricity supplies to Iraq in July as rolling blackouts and water shortages in the southern Khuzestan province in the face of sizzling temperatures touched off a series of protests.
Baghdad has built up an outstanding debt of $1 billion from years of electricity imports from Iran.
Earlier this year, Iraq sent its Electricity Minister Qassem al-Fahdawi to Tehran to persuade Iran to resume supplies amid protests in Iraq, spurred by anger over unemployment and inadequate public services, including power and water shortages.
Source: Farsnews