June 18, 2025 – Office of the Minister of Electricity
The Ministry of Electricity has reported that two power transmission towers on the 132 kV lines—Khor Al-Zubair to Al-Madina Al-Riyadiya and Khor Al-Zubair to the Industrial Institute—in Basra Province have been subjected to acts of deliberate sabotage.
These criminal acts led to the loss of approximately 300 megawatts of electric power, directly impacting the supply to key substations, including Al-Madina Al-Riyadiya, Bab Al-Zubair, the Industrial Institute, and Abu Floos.
To ensure the continuity of service, these stations will now be integrated into a 2×2 load-sharing program from an alternative source via the Khor Al-Zubair – Bab Al-Zubair line.
This same line also faced an attempted sabotage and theft; however, the ministry’s technical teams successfully intervened to prevent the collapse of the tower and maintained its structural stability.
Minister of Electricity Eng. Ziyad Ali Fadhil has directed the emergency maintenance teams from the General Company for Electricity Transmission – Southern Region to begin immediate repairs on the damaged towers and restore full functionality as quickly as possible.
The Ministry emphasized that these sabotage efforts are intended to destabilize the power supply in Basra, which has been enjoying a stable and sustainable electricity supply, even amid soaring summer temperatures.
The Ministry of Electricity calls on the relevant security authorities to launch an urgent investigation into the incident and to strengthen protection measures around power transmission infrastructure to safeguard the stability of the national grid.
