Aryanews- In baghdad they say whenever the electricity minister promises to generate more power, it's time to buy more diesel for your private generator.
Despite nearly two years of efforts to restore calmness in Iraq, still a combination of factors including posturing, sandstorms, terrorist attacks and increased demand causes the government to be not able to resolve a perennial Iraqi complaint — not enough electricity.
Iraqis desperate for air conditioning in summer temperatures regularly topping 50 degrees Celsius complain of inconsistent power supply, with some families receiving close to 24 hours worth, and others only two to three hours daily.
Some factories have been forced to cut back production because of power problems, and officials worry that foreign investors will hesitate to put their money into new projects because of electricity worries.
According to Electricity Minister Karim Waheed there are many reasons for this electricity shortage. The country does not have enough fuel to run some of its power stations, and falling oil prices, a key source of income for Iraq, mean budgets are tight. Water shortages in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers have affected hydropower as well.
Like the rest of Iraqi society, electricity has also been affected by insurgents, many of whom targeted power infrastructure. More than 1,000 of the ministry's staff have been either killed or wounded since the 2003 invasion, the minister added.
Severe sandstorms this summer mean maintenance crews have been forced to clean power station equipment on an almost daily basis because of dust and sand build-up, as opposed to annually, said ministry spokesman Aziz Sultan.
However the relief might be on its way. Last December, Iraqi officials signed preliminary deals with General Electric Co. and Siemens AG worth over $3 billion to boost the country's electricity generation. The deals were designed to upgrade the country's power grid, which has been ravaged by years of war, sanctions and neglect. GE and Siemens are to provide gas turbines as well as other products such as technical advisory services, training, performance testing and spare parts for the construction of new power plants.
After repeated delays that Sultan blamed on political squabbling between ministries and investors, the deals appear to be going forward. The Finance Minister has ordered $2.4 billion to be transferred to the Electricity Ministry to begin payments to GE and Siemens.
The work is slated to begin at the end of the year, Wahid said in an appearance on Al-Arabiya TV after the payments were made.
The power outages aren't just a nuisance. Many Iraqis also worry that the outages will drive away foreign investment — something Iraq desperately needs. Iraqi officials at the Ministry of Industry said some companies were forced to shut down because of power outages at the end of July, and even those with generators couldn't perform at maximum capacity. Such problems may make investors reluctant to do business in Iraq, officials said.
