Iraq power outage prompts Babil threat

BABIL, Iraq, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Iraq's national power outage has prompted the head of Babil province to send Baghdad an ultimatum: Give us electricity or we'll take it.

"If we compare Babil with the other provinces, such as Karbala and Najaf, Babil is suffering from lengthy blackouts due to the other provinces do not stick with their own shares," said Salim al-Muslimawi, the governor of Babil province, Badr Newspaper reports.

He said the Electricity Ministry has a week to ensure the province receives its due share of electricity or the province will cut its power plants from the grid.

The central government nominally decides how much electricity to ration to each province. But that allocation has been accused of being corrupt. And some provinces have kept using electricity past their allotment.

In the past, especially during outages last summer, provinces would cut the connection to the national grid and use all the power they generate within the province.

Muslimawi says other provinces are stealing what is due to Babil, located immediately south of Baghdad.

"We have sent many messages to the central government but they have not responded," he said. "This is why we have given them this period before we cut any connections."

Iraq's Electricity and Oil ministries each rely on the other to keep electricity and fuels coming to Iraqis. And each blames the other -- power outages stopped oil production and refineries, and power plants need fuels to operate.

The Electricity Ministry says Turkey has stopped delivering electricity and Kuwait has cut supplies of power plant fuel.