As hot summer, blackouts loom, Iraq looks to solar power

Deutsche Welle · 🇩🇪 public Germany · Jun 06, 2026 · 1075 words · By Cathrin Schaer

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Ready to play

Daily briefing

What to know about As hot summer, blackouts loom, Iraq looks to solar power

As hot summer, blackouts loom, Iraq looks to solar power June 6, 2026Iraq has long suffered through scorching summers that the country's national grid hasn't been able to keep up with.

Claims checked 17

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

As hot summer, blackouts loom, Iraq looks to solar power June 6, 2026Iraq has long suffered through scorching summers that the country's national grid hasn't been able to keep up with.

Why it matters

But it was only recently that Hiba al-Amiri's family started to seriously consider getting solar panels installed at home to compensate for the annual summer blackouts.

Common ground

"In the war, Iranian gas was cut and for four days, we had no electricity," the Baghdad-based teacher told DW.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: As hot summer, blackouts loom, Iraq looks to solar power?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that the Iraqi national grid only supplies private households between eight and 12 hours of electricity a day?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/as-hot-summer-blackouts-loom-iraq-looks-to-solar-power/a-7…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 7

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

cancel Disputed 1

verified

Claim 1: “the Iraqi national grid only supplies private households between eight and 12 hours of electricity a day.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided search results for this claim are irrelevant (discussing pizza and Steam), and no evidence regarding the specific hours of electricity supply from the national grid was found.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. Located within the Middle East, it is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Iraq War (Arabic: حرب العراق, romanized: ḥarb al-ʿirāq), also referred to as the Second Gulf War (Gulf War II), was a protracted armed conflict in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Iraq national football team (Arabic: منتخب الْعِرَاق لِكُرَةُ الْقَدَم), nicknamed the Lions of Mesopotamia (Arabic: أسود الرافدين), represents Iraq in men's international football and is controll…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_national_football_team

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 2: “Installing solar panels in a private household costs somewhere between 5 and 10 million Iraqi dinars (around $3,800-$7,600/€3,200-€6,500)”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results explicitly state that installing solar panels in a private household in Iraq costs between 5 and 10 million Iraqi dinars.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2003 invasion of Iraq was the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion began on 20 March 2003 and lasted just over one month, including 26 days of major combat operations. The invasion was conduc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 3: “in early 2025, Iraq's central bank set up a scheme for citizens and small businesses to apply for loans, with favorable terms, to set up solar power systems.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has initiatives and enhancements to developmental lending, and specifically that Cihan Bank participated in a CBI initiative to support solar PV systems.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — loans that have been used by some residential clients for solar installations ... Cihan bank has participated in the CBI initiative to support solar PV system ...
https://www.giz.de/en/downloads/giz2025-en-Green-Lending-in-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago ... The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has announced enhancements to two of its developmental lending initiatives, raising the financing ceiling for ...
https://www.facebook.com/IraqBusinessNews/posts/the-central-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Furthermore, a UNDP report published in early 2025 found that Iraqi courts ... The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) mandates a capital adequacy ratio (CAR) ...
https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report/IRQ

help

Claim 4: “Iraq's imports of Chinese solar panels more than quadrupled between 2024 and 2025. They rose from 0.43 gigawatts to 1.89 gigawatts”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found regarding the specific gigawatt import figures for Chinese solar panels between 2024 and 2025.

check_circle

Claim 5: “In March, Iran completely cut gas to Iraq after Israel attacked its gas fields.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results confirm that Iran completely cut gas supplies to Iraq on March 18 following Israeli strikes on the South Pars gas field.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Iran–Iraq War, also referred to as the First Imposed War, began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran in September 1980. After eight years of conflict, both countries accepted a ceasefire deal brokered …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Iraq_War

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iran and Israel have been engaged in a proxy conflict since 1985. In the Israeli–Lebanese conflict, Iran has supported Lebanese Shia militias, most notably Hezbollah. In the Israeli–Palestinian confli…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Israel_proxy_conflict

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iran and Israel have not maintained a formal diplomatic relationship with each other since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Beginning in the mid-1980s, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict has grown to large…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Israel_relations

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 6: “made Iraq the fifth-largest importer among Arab countries [of Chinese solar panels].”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 7: “Iraq has not been able to export as much oil thanks to the Strait of Hormuz being blocked”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 8: “Iraq opened two industrial solar power plants. One in Karbala started operating last September and should eventually add 300 megawatts to the national grid. Another in Basra began operating part of its system in March and should be able to deliver 1 gigawatt when fully operational in 2028.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 9: “the Iraqi government also reduced import duties on components needed for solar power from 33% to 5%”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found regarding the reduction of import duties from 33% to 5%.

verified

Claim 10: “Households in a city like Baghdad might pay between $100 (€86) and $300 a month to keep the lights on [via generator operators].”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided search results are irrelevant (discussing down payment assistance and AI music), and no evidence regarding the cost of private generator subscriptions in Baghdad was found.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire was the third Islamic caliphate, ruled by the Abbasid dynasty. The dynasty was descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (d. 653), after whom i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasid_Caliphate

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Baghdad is the capital and largest city in Iraq. It is located on the banks of the Tigris in central Iraq. The city has an estimated population of 8 million. It ranks among the most populous and large…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Siege of Baghdad, also known as the Sack of Baghdad, took place in early 1258. A large army commanded by Hulegu, a prince of the Mongol Empire, attacked the historic capital of the Abbasid Calipha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Baghdad

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 11: “The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Algeria import more Chinese solar panels than Iraq”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 12: “Regular demand in Iraq requires around 40 gigawatts.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 13: “energy tariffs in Iraq are heavily subsidized”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that Iraq's electricity tariffs are low (starting at 10 IQD per kWh) and that the Ministry of Oil sells gas to the electricity sector at 'highly subsidized prices'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 17, 2025 ... [3] Iraq's tiered electricity tariff starts at 10 Iraqi dinar (IQD) per kWh for the first 2550 kWh per month, rising to IQD 35 (about 3 US cents) ...
https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/iraqs-electricity-sh…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Feb 3, 2023 ... The MoO sells domestically produced natural gas, crude and fuel oil to the electricity sector at highly subsidized prices, which are fixed in ...
https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/002/2023/076/arti…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Dec 7, 2025 ... Iraq's Electricity Ministry denies tariff hike rumors ... BAGHDAD — The Ministry of Electricity on Sunday denied social media claims that power ...
https://en.964media.com/43059/

schedule

Claim 14: “wants to be producing 12 gigawatts [of solar] by the end of this decade.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 15: “Iraq actually opened its first solar energy research center in the 1980s.”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results (likely from the same or similar reporting) confirm that Iraq opened its first solar energy research center in the 1980s.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 6, 2026 ... And Iraq actually opened its first solar energy research center in the 1980s. "But wars and sanctions slowed work in the solar energy sector ...
https://www.dw.com/en/as-hot-summer-blackouts-loom-iraq-look…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 7, 2026 ... ... energy sciences working in Iraq, pointedout. And Iraq actually opened its first solar energy research center in the 1980s. “But wars and ...
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/326396/as-hot-summer-black…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This study presents an outlook on the renewable energies in Iraq, and the potential for deploying concentrated solar power technologies to support power ...
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/8/1/42

schedule

Claim 16: “the country's national grid has produced around 29 gigawatts of electricity [so far this year].”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

cancel

Claim 17: “Iran supplies up to 40% of the gas that Iraq needs to keep its power stations running”

DISPUTED

One source states that Iran's contribution is 'no longer the huge 40% of Iraqi generation' and has recently dropped, while the claim asserts it supplies 'up to 40%'. The evidence suggests this figure is either outdated or currently decreasing.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The two sovereign states of Iran and Iraq maintain diplomatic and foreign relations. Both states have history that extends for millennia into the past. Iran and Iraq share a long border (the longest b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Iraq_relations

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Iran war has involved Iraq, where Iranian forces and allied militias based in the country have conducted missile and drone strikes against facilities primarily of the United States, mostly in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_in_the_2026_Iran_war

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.