by Jay Deshmukh
BAGHDAD, Aug 4 (AFP) - A delay in getting new electricity projects off the ground, a chronic shortage of funds and an infrastructure dilapidated through war and neglect has sent power-hungry Iraq reeling under peak summer heat.
Industry experts and analysts believe Iraq needs at least 12 billion dollars (10 billion euros) to put its electricity sector back on track and meet the power demands of its 25 million people all day, every day.
At the moment, average supply peters out after eight to 12 hours.
Abhar Maurof, director general of projects at the ministry of electricity, blames the delayed repairs of power infrastructure on political and economic instability rampant in Iraq.
"The existing stations operate at barely 30-40 percent capacity, while the distribution network across the country has virtually collapsed after the war and two decades of strife, adding to the crisis," he said.
Iraq currently generates 4,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, although peak summer demand hovers around 6,000 MW, when temperatures can exceed 50 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit).
But the real extent of the shortage is obscured by the near zero demand from industry, beaten into the ground by international sanctions and war.
"If we have industrial demand coming, another 30 percent of electricity would be required, which at present is unavailable," Maurof told AFP.
Precarious security, killings and kidnappings have had a detrimental effect on the reconstruction effort, with many power projects abandoned or delayed over the last year.
"We had assurances and signed contracts with various foreign companies, but some of them have left over the last year, derailing generation plans," Maurof said.
"On our own we can generate the required power, but at the ground level projects are delayed due to lack of funds, which is the key factor in the crisis."
Russian technology company Technoexport and Indian engineering firm Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) are just a few of those that have reneged on projects, said Maurof.
Analysts also apportion blame to the 1991 Gulf War and slow reconstruction work after last year's US invasion.
"In the 1991 war, almost 80 to 90 percent of Iraq's electricity infrastructure was bombed by the Americans," said Sadoun al-Dulaimi, executive director of the private Iraq Centre for Research and Strategic Studies (ICRSS).
"This infrastructure was never rehabilitated to optimum levels, while fresh demand kept on building."
The worst shortages are in the capital. Although the government has started rationing power -- three hours on, three hours off -- Baghdad still only meets 50 percent of demand.
The problem is exacerbated by an inability to transfer power smoothly from the north and south along a decaying national grid, weakened by looters after Saddam Hussein fell from power in April 2003, Maurof admitted.
For Dulaimi, the problem is partly US-driven and could be solved by opening up the sector faster.
"Americans are controlling all the projects, which is their gain from the war," he said, urging the government to open up the sector to bidders from other countries.
"Let there be faster privatisation. There is hardly a policy initiative on this issue despite it being the most frustrating part of Iraq," he said.
A recent Washington think-tank survey listed the lack of electricity as the biggest frustration for 90 percent of Iraqis.
In Najaf, blighted by frequent power cuts, some 100 angry residents have stormed the electricity distribution centre twice in the last five days, sending frightened staff fleeing on Sunday.
But brushing aside criticisms of detrimental US monopolies, American officials insist the situation has improved since last year.
In a recent report, the Project and Contracting Office, responsible for executing the 18.4-billion-dollar US reconstruction package for Iraq, said 16 of Iraq's 18 provinces were receiving at least eight hours of power a day.
Accusing Saddam Hussein of sucking electricity from the north and south, it said: "Distribution today is much more evenly disbursed across the country with many areas enjoying more electricity than pre-war levels."
Maurof was also determined to be positive, referring to plans to generate 20,000 MW over the next five years.
"Once we have our funds tied up, we can tackle the situation over the next five years," he said.
For Dulaimi, improved supply would also subdue the insurgency. In his words, "darkness hides the ugly and the pretty".