Much is still being made of the problems with Iraq's electrical capacity. What isn't being mentioned is the underlying significance of the constantly-increasing demand.

Prewar Iraq had a level of about 4,400 MW total. The CPA goal was to be up to 6,000 MW by the end of last year, but did not quite reach that goal.

Note the mention in the article of the current status:

"We are trying to be fair, and we are doing much better than last year," Electricity Minister Aiham Alsammarae said in an interview. "Our lines can carry the bulk of power with no problem, but the plants are old and poorly maintained, and the terrorists keep hitting us. We can produce 5,200 megawatt hours now, but to keep everyone happy, we need to produce 7,500."

In other words, they are producing over a thousand MW more than pre-war Iraq, but they still need more. Some might think a new prosperity might have something to do with this.

Note the state monopoly air cooler company complaining that nobody buys from them now that nobody is forced to. If the cooler they're talking about is the one shown in the photo, I'm not surprised.

Perspective:

Across town, in a more modern building, a family was watching television Friday when the power cut off. A teenage boy rose from the couch, flipped on a generator switch, and the cartoons flickered back to life. His uncle said he thought people complained too much about minor postwar problems such as lack of electricity.

"At least we have freedom now," said Haider Jawad, 40, an electrician. "My brother was executed by Saddam in 1983, and when I bought a satellite receiver in 2000, I was always terrified of a knock on the door" because such devices were illegal.

"People should be patient and give the government time to work on these problems," he said. "Compared to the past, a little hot weather is nothing."