More electricity in Iraq, but shortages still linger

BAGHDAD - Don't try to convince Taha Yassin that Iraq's power shortages are finally easing: His children cry each night when the fan cuts off and the house heats up.

Iraq is producing on average 11 percent more electricity this year than a year ago, officials said Sunday. Improved security has allowed repair crews to finally get the upper hand, fixing damaged lines and stations, some sabotaged by insurgents.

But demand still exceeds Iraq's supply, and the distribution network is old and rundown, said British Brig. Carew Wilks, who heads energy operations for U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq.

"It will take many years and major investment to fully meet the needs of the Iraqi people," Wilks said.

In Baghdad, despite the improvements, many people still get only three to four hours of city power a day - and they are bitter.

"It is a tragedy that has turned our life into a nightmare," said Yassin, a minibus driver whose house in Baghdad's Baladiyat neighborhood gets four hours of city power a day. U.S. officials say the current average is about 10 hours in Baghdad, and nearly 11 hours nationwide.

Iraq's government is likely to earn $70 billion in oil revenues this year, Yassin noted sourly, "and yet it cannot solve our problems."

The shortages force many people to buy power from private generators run by neighbors or small-business men. Baghdad's neighborhood streets and alleys are often topped with a tangled ceiling of electrical cables connecting homes to such generators.

Nevertheless, officials stressed, there has been sharp improvement.

At this point last summer, nine critical power lines nationwide needed repair because of sabotage, Wilks said. Not a single one is down now, allowing work crews to focus instead on construction.

The country had 11 major nationwide blackouts from December to May but had none in recent weeks, he said.

Iraq's electricity production rose 11 percent in the first six months of 2008, compared with the same period a year ago, Wilks said. Some weeks are even better, depending on minor fluctuations - last week, 25 percent more power was generated than during the same week a year ago, he said.

Officials give priority to critical buildings, Wilks said, making private dwellings a lesser priority.

Major hospitals have special lines from city plants, guaranteeing power most of the day, Deputy Health Minister Adel Muhsin said.

Iraq's electrical problems have long been a source of discontent among the public.

Improving the grid was a task for U.S. Army engineers just after the war, but the effort ran into immediate problems. Officials found barely operating power plants, lacking spare parts, and suffering from years of neglect brought on by wars and U.N. trade sanctions.

The decline began during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, when U.S. warplanes targeted the grid. Damage also occurred during the 2003 invasion and the looting afterward. Insurgents also quickly began attacking facilities.