WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

3.5.4 Iraq
Abdul-Ilah Younis Taha, Baghdad University, Iraq
Key facts
Population 31,129,255 1
Area 435,000 km 2
Climate Mostly desert; mild to cool winters with
dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern
mountainous regions along Iranian and
Turkish borders experience cold winters
with occasionally heavy snows that
melt in early spring, sometimes causing
extensive flooding in central and
southern Iraq.
Topography Mostly broad plains; reedy marshes
along Iranian border in south with large
flooded areas; mountains along borders
with Iran and Turkey.
Rain
Pattern
Roughly 90 per cent of the annual
rainfall occurs between November and
April. The western and southern desert
region receives brief heavy rainstorms
in the winter of about 100 mm in total.
In the rolling upland region, there is
basically no precipitation in the
summer and some showers in the
winter (winter rainfall averages about
380 mm). The alluvial plain of the Tigris
and Euphrates delta in the southeast
receives most of its precipitation
accompanied by thunderstorms in the
winter and early spring. The average
annual rainfall for this area is only
about 100 mm to 170 mm. In the
mountains of the north and northeast
precipitation occurs mainly in winter
and spring, with minimal rainfall in
summer. Above 1,500 metres, heavy
snowfalls occur in winter, and there is
thunderstorm activity in the summer.
Annual precipitation for the whole
region ranges from 400 mm to 1,000
mm. 2
Electricity sector overview
Electrification rate in Iraq has dropped from about 98
per cent in the late 1990s to 93 per cent at present.
About 15 per cent of the power generated provides
continuous supply to essential services. The remaining
population gets typically eight hours of national grid
electricity each day. It is estimated that 98 per cent of
the population has alternative power supplies, either
obtained through neighbourhood or private
generators. An exception is the autonomous region of
Iraqi Kurdistan, where the population has access to
electricity 24 hours a day. 3
Annual power production in Iraq has increased from
29.13 GWh in 2000 to 48.83 GWh in 2010 (with a
considerable drop to 25.34 GWh in 2003 as a result of
the destruction of power infrastructure). Electricity
generation is mainly based on fossil fuels (figure 1).
Hydro
Imported
Fossil
9.22%
10.29%
80.49%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Figure 1 Electricity generation in Iraq
Source: Indexmundi 4
Note: Data from 2010.
Iraq has the third highest oil reserves in the world.
Due to the nation’s political instability, it still faces
energy shortages even though the land is blessed with
such essential resources. According to the the
country’s energy master plan, about 24,400 MW of
new capacity will be added between 2012 and 2017,
including 13,000 MW of gas-fired capacity, 7,000 MW
of thermal power capacity and 400 MW of renewable
energy by 2015. A further 4,000 MW will be added by
the conversion of simple-cycle power plants to
combined-cycle technology. 3
While hydropower development is part of the long
term strategy, the country is currently more
interested in developing power plants in a short
duration; hence gas- and oil-fired plants are the
preferred choice. There is also more focus on
developing large dams for irrigation and flood
protection. Wind and solar parks are also desired.
Small hydropower sector overview and potential
There is no official definition of small hydropower in
the country, but generally, a capacity of up to 80 MW
is considered small. The installed capacity of small
hydropower projects (according to the country’s
definition of up to 80 MW) is about 10 per cent of the
total hydropower capacity. Currently, there are six
small hydropower stations operating in Iraq (table 1).
Only one of the listed projects has a capacity below
10 MW (figure 2).
SHP installed
capacity
SHP potential
6 MW
26.38 MW
0 10 20 30
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities in Iraq
Note: Small hydropower definition of up to 10 MW.
It is estimated that the full hydropower potential may
be as high as 80,000 GWh annually. In 2006, the
Ministry of Water Resources issued a guidance note,
Phase I, as part of its Strategy for Water and Land
Resources in Iraq. 5 The note is based on the earlier
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