Iraq has seen poor progress in serving its people�s power needs. Electricity generation per capita, which should be high to meet air conditioning needs, remains one of the lowest in the Middle East. It generates less than Lebanon, even though Lebanon suffers severe power shortages, and only a little more per capita than Egypt and Jordan, despite a significantly higher GDP. Plans for importing 500 MW of electricity from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, first announced in 2019, have also moved slowly, even though Iraq has reportedly built 80% of the connections required on its side. The spread of the coronavirus has stalled Gulf efforts to comply with their end of the deal, which now seems delayed to 2021.