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Iraq's Kurdistan region struggles with
power shortages
24.8.2007
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August
24, 2007
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan region (Iraq), -- The
electricity shortage in Iraq continues to plague the
country. Power blackouts have become a telling
symbol of the difficulties Iraq's government and the
United States are having in improving life for
ordinary Iraqis. But power plants being built in the
Kurdistan region could end the local electrical
shortage and send power to the rest of the county.
The Kurdistani capital of Erbil currently provides
residents, free of charge, only about 'eight' hours
of electric power a day.
And when the power goes out, it is the job of
Mohammad Qatar and other private generator operators
to turn the lights back on.
Qatar runs a diesel generator that provides
electricity for about 300 homes. An average
household pays $60 a months for this service. Qatar
says he expects to be in business for a long time to
come.
He says if the government starts supporting the city
full time, he will change jobs, but he does not see
it happening anytime soon.
Qatar has reason to feel confident. In all of Iraq
electricity output has been actually slightly lower
this summer than last year.
Until recently, the energy needs of the Kurdish
region have been ignored. Officials say during his
reign, Saddam Hussein tried to control the region by
making it dependent on Baghdad for power.
Hoshyar Siwaily, the minister of electricity for
Kurdistan region, says the new Iraqi government has
been unable to meet its needs.
"Unfortunately, for the past few years or the last
three years, our budget, this ministry's budget was
part of the federal ministry of electricity's
budget," he said. "They did not construct and build
one single important project in the region."
The Kurdistan regional government is now acting
independently to increase electrical energy output
through foreign assistance and private investment
projects.
The U.S. government has financed the building of
four electrical substations that can transmit
significantly more power to both the Kurdistan
region and the Iraqi national grid. Each substation
cost between $4 million to $5 million.
A company called Mass Jordon is building a $390
million power plant outside the capital city of
Erbil. This facility is expected to start producing
electricity later this year. Three other
privately-owned power plants in the Kurdish region
are also in various stages of a construction.
The Kurdish regional government will initially pay
for the electricity produced with oil revenue, but
says over time residents will have to start paying
for this electricity. Minister Siwaily says
eventually the region also expects to send power to
the rest of Iraq.
"That's our aim," he said. "In fact to give
electricity to the other parts of Iraq."
Minister Siwaily expects that by 2009 the region
will produce enough energy to keep the lights on 24
hours a day.
voanews com
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