Shafaq News / Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, directed the activation of all electricity projects, especially the one with the German company Siemens.

Al-Kadhimi’s office said in a statement received by Shafaq News agency, that the latter held, today, “a meeting with the ministers of electricity and oil devoted to tackling the current electricity crisis", noting that the PM counted, “the electricity file as one of the most important challenges facing the work of the current government".

The statement quoted Al-Kadhimi saying, " Billions of dollars were spent in the past years on this sector, and were sufficient to build modern electrical networks, but corruption, financial waste and mismanagement prevented solving the electric power crisis in Iraq".

"The previous ministry did not carry out electricity-related projects", pointing that, "the government is determined to tackle this file by implementing plans to develop production sectors, and blocking all the outlets of corruption in this vital sector", Al-Kadhimi added.

The PM directed the Ministry of Oil to, "provide free fuel to the owners of private generators, in exchange for lower subscription rates and increased processing hours".

It is noteworthy that the German ambassador in Baghdad, Ole Diehl, accused the United States of obstructing the development of the electricity sector in Iraq, by preventing the German company Siemens from developing the electrical sector in the country and pressing it towards contracting with the American General Electric Company.

Siemens announced, in May 2019, that it has signed an agreement with the Iraqi government to implement an energy related project that includes the rehabilitation and modernization of existing power stations and the expansion of transportation and distribution networks.

This came after former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi signed four agreements with the German company, worth $ 14 billion.