Iraq's post-Gulf War electricity collapse (1991)
Coalition forces bombed 28 Iraqi power plants in 215 sorties during the Gulf War, reducing generating capacity from 9,500 megawatts to roughly 300 megawatts. Metallic sheets dropped on the first day short-circuited the grid. International sanctions then prevented full reconstruction for over a decade.
Iraq's grid dropped to roughly 3 percent of its pre-war output. Water treatment, sewage systems, and hospitals lost power for extended periods.
The grid was never fully rebuilt to pre-war standards. Each subsequent conflict, from the 2003 invasion to the Islamic State's 2014 occupation, inflicted additional damage on infrastructure that had never recovered. Thirty-five years later, Iraq still cannot meet peak electricity demand.
The current blackout is the latest chapter in a grid that has been damaged, patched, and damaged again across four major conflicts. Each crisis exploits the same underlying vulnerability: Iraq generates less power than it needs and relies on external fuel to close the gap.