Q&A: Assad Muhair Karim, director general for southern electricity transmission

BASRA - Iraq's chronic electricity shortages are a result of not just a gap between supply and demand but also outdated infrastructure, since much of the power generated is lost in inefficient transmission lines before it can reach consumers.

As the director general of Iraq's Electricity Transmission Company for the South, Eng. Assad Muhair Karim is overseeing a plan to overhaul the transmission system, adding 400 kilovolts (kV) of transmission lines in the Basra area to support the southern network and the national grid.

In an interview with Iraq Oil Report, Karim said those plans are projected to improve electricity service in time for next summer, when he predicts the grid will provide at least 20 hours per day.

He also discussed plans to proceed with interconnections with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GGCIA), which are awaiting sovereign guarantees before work can begin.

A full text of the interview is available below for Iraq Oil Report subscribers.