so much for power anytime soon

IRIN interview with Director General of the Electricity Ministry

BAGHDAD - Mohsen Hassan has a tough task at hand. As Director General of Iraq's fledging Electricity Ministry, he now has to deal with the regular power cuts in the city of Baghdad, blamed on sabotage, while trying to restore electricity to millions of Iraqis and extend the grid to millions who never had power.

Ironically, the electricity went off in Hassan's office during IRIN's interview with him, thus highlighting the power-supply problem. However, the Ministry of Electricity is co-located with the Ministry of Oil, and a generator for the building kicked in after five minutes, bringing back the lights, but not the air-conditioning.

In his interview, Hassan said the ministry needed continued support from donors, noting that it could take up to two years before electricity is restored on a 24-hour basis.