Overview

• A sudden shutdown at the Hamidiya power plant in Anbar caused a transmission fault that cascaded across central and southern Iraq, including Baghdad, halting more than 6,000 megawatts of capacity.
• Record temperatures of 48–50°C and surge demand from millions of pilgrims in Babylon and Karbala overwhelmed two key transmission lines, precipitating the grid collapse.
• The outage spared the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, where recent upgrades have enabled round-the-clock state electricity.
• Electricity ministry undersecretary Mohammed Nehme said technical crews are operating in emergency mode to repair faults and have begun phased restorations.
• Chronic under-investment, dependence on Iranian gas imports and limited generation capacity have long left the national grid vulnerable during summer peaks.