Iraq's power generation capacity has now exceeded 4,000 megawatts, according to statements from US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Andrew Natsios. This brings total capacity back to 90 percent of its pre-war level of 4,400 megawatts, reported Washington File.
Responding to reporters' questions about why the restoration of power-generating capacity has not proceeded faster, Natsios explained that the quality of the facilities is a problem. "We're taking the plants down that are unstable or on the edge of collapse and we're repairing them." But he said this takes time. "We've done a complete survey of the condition of all the generators and all the plants in the country, and the ones that can be fixed the fastest, that have a regular supply of gas or oil and can be fixed the cheapest, are the ones done first," he said.
The occupying Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq and USAID have a goal to increase Iraq's generation capacity to 6,000 megawatts by the summer of 2004. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
