How To Fix Iraq’s Electricity Grid

It "was hardly surprising to me when the United States special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction told Congress how dismally efforts to repair the country's electrical grid are going. Iraq is now producing only about 4,000 megawatts of electricity, as opposed to 4,500 before the war, despite huge increases in demand because of the widespread availability of household appliances since the Baathist regime fell. Baghdad, which had consistent power under Saddam Hussein, now gets only about four to six hours of electricity a day. (Other areas of the country that were slighted under the dictatorship have seen improvements in service.)"

"First, the ministry needs to get serious about collecting revenue. It could start by charging realistic rates. At the moment it charges residential customers less than a tenth of a cent per kilowatt-hour, even though most analysts agree it would have to charge at least 15 or 20 times that just to break even — and more if you include adequate financing to maintain and expand production plants and distribution networks."