‘Power Towers War’ Impacts 14 Pylons in 3 Iraqi Provinces

Arab World

August 6th, 7:18am

Baghdad - Fadhel al-Nashmi

Power cables supplying private generators in Sadr City, Iraq (AFP)

Iraqis living in the northern Salaheddin province and nearby areas had to endure this week the strains of a total power blackout triggered by systematic targeting of 14 transmission pylons. The power outage, coupled with summer temperatures soaring over 50 degrees Celsius, left civilians to suffer difficult moments in the sweltering heat. Attacks on power towers also affected networks in the Nineveh and Kirkuk provinces. Dubbing the organized targeting of power pylons as a “towers war,” the country’s electricity distributor in northern provinces warned that the hostile and methodical assaults against the power grid were dangerously expanding. “This war targets company capabilities by depleting its infrastructure, and perpetrators are deliberately harming citizens in light of rising temperatures,” said the North Power Distribution Company in a statement. In another statement, Iraq’s Electricity Ministry revealed that in the last 48 hours, explosive devices targeted the (Kirkuk-Qayyarah 400 kV) powerline after damaging five electricity pylons. The destruction cut off the powerline’s feed to Nineveh. “Sabotage with an explosive device also targeted the transmission line (Chahid Abdullah – Al-Dour – north of Samarra 132 kV) by destroying four pylons, which cut the powerline feeding Salaheddin,” the ministry added. According to the ministry, power supplies to each of Nineveh, Kirkuk, and Salaheddin were affected by the attacks. Besides the targeting of transmission towers, which negatively impacts the power grid’s performance nationwide, Iraq’s energy sector has long suffered from mismanagement and corruption. This left the state unable to meet the country’s needs. In early June, the country suffered a stifling electricity crisis because Iran suspended supplies to some power plants, depriving citizens of electricity for most day hours. The scale and scope of the attacks on energy towers show the extent of the government’s failure in protecting them. Attacks remain unchecked despite the government deciding to form a special security force to protect the towers.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3117991/%E2%80%98power-towers-war%E2%80%99-impacts-14-pylons-3-iraqi-provinces