Basra Council: Turkish warships cost Iraq $1 million a day to no avail.
Basra Council: Turkish warships cost Iraq $1 million a day to no avail.
9-6-2025
Al-Maalouma/Basra..
A media source in the Basra Provincial Council revealed today, Saturday, that the two Turkish generating barges that were recently connected to the power grids and transmission lines in the ports of Khor Al-Zubair and Umm Qasr have not achieved the desired benefit despite the exorbitant cost borne by the Iraqi treasury.
The source told Al-Maalouma, “Iraq is spending one million dollars daily renting the Turkish barges, at a time when the electricity sector is witnessing a relative improvement in local production.” He questioned “the insistence of the local and central governments in Basra on projects that drain public funds and bring economic benefits to Ankara.”
He added, “The Ministry of Electricity contracted with the company (PKBS), affiliated with the Turkish (Kar Powership), to secure 591 megawatts of energy for 71 days during peak times in July and August,” indicating that “the added capacity of the two barges, amounting to 250 megawatts, has not yet proven its feasibility compared to the costs involved.”
He continued, “The irony lies in Iraq’s continued payment of huge sums for temporary generation projects, while simultaneously facing a stifling water crisis caused by Turkish policies toward the Tigris and Euphrates rivers,” noting that “this situation raises questions about the government’s priorities in managing the energy and water issues.”
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