BAGHDAD, May 9 (AKnews)
More than $5m (5.8bn IQD) worth of fuel is stolen each month from the amount allocated to three Turkish barges that produce power in Basra, a government investigation has revealed.
The Iraqi Electricity Ministry announced the discovery from an ongoing investigation into fuel theft yesterday.
The Turkish barges were used to help compensate for the acute shortage of energy in the region.
The Inspector General of the Ministry, Alaa Mohiuddin, said during a press conference held at the ministry in Baghdad:
"The investigation is under way about the theft of fuel and it will be submitted to the Office of the Minister and the regulatory authorities when it is completed.
"The three Turkish barges are operating in Basra and are processed with free fuel based on a contract signed with the Ministry of Electricity and the Ministry of Oil.
"The fuel is stolen by the company responsible for the transfer of fuel waste."
Iraq has spent around $27bn (31.5bn IQD) since 2003 to provide electric power to its citizens, but the national network is only capable of providing electricity for just a few hours a day.
Iraq needs at least 15,000 MW to meet the high demand for energy but currently is capable of producing only 7,000 megawatts.
© AK News 2012
