The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity says it is in talks with Iran to increase natural gas imports from its eastern neighbor, as Baghdad prepares to open new natural gas-fired power plants. According to Ahmad al-Ebadi, a ministry spokesman, the volume of gas imports from Iran is currently at 43 million cubic meters, while Iraq requires 55-60 million cubic meters of the energy source. The Iraqi official added that talks are underway with Iran and its Oil Ministry to increase Baghdad's gas purchases. He stated that Iraq's electricity production had increased by 22% over the previous year, and that new power plants were ... (full story)