[Published here August 20, 2021]
Frequent power outages in Lebanon caused by a shortage of fuel are spilling into every aspect of life: empty bakeries; hospitals pushed to crisis point; family businesses struggling to survive.
With both government power grids and privately-run generators faltering, here’s what you need to know about the power crisis hitting Lebanon amid a financial meltdown.
Continue reading[Published here May 15, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – With temperatures rising on both the weather and security fronts across the region, Iraq’s freshman electricity minister is warning that politicising his country’s power sector could have ripple effects around the world.
[Published here November 28, 2018]
Iraq’s broken electricity sector is planning a long-awaited overhaul to both meet US pressure to halt Iranian power imports and head off summertime protests over chronic cuts.
[Written with my colleague Ammar Karim and published here on November 8, 2018]
Iraq has won an exemption allowing it to buy Iranian electricity despite US sanctions, as the country plagued by chronic power shortages walks a tightrope between rivals Washington and Tehran.
With US measures imposed Monday taking aim at Iran’s banking and energy industries, there were concerns Iraq — which heavily relies on its eastern neighbour for electricity and consumer goods — would be caught in the crossfire.
MAYA GEBEILY 