Sunday, September 21, 2003

The total – the total amount of power available [in Iraq] once we get to pre-war levels is about 4,000 megawatts ... we’ve been working our way up and we’re going to continue to work our way up and the next 60 days we’ll get to 4,000.

--Paul Bremer, conference call with editorial writers, July 23, 2003

Well, it's now exactly 60 days later. How are we doing?

Iraq produced 4,500 megawatts of electricity before the war. Current demand is estimated at double that, and is growing quickly. Generating capacity is currently down to 3,500 megawatts.

--"Iraqis Continue to Complain About Unreliable Electrical Power," Voice of America News, 9/19/03

OK, that story appeared a couple of days before Bremer's target date -- but I don't think there was a sudden upsurge in generating capacity in the ensuing 48 hours.

And, as VOA notes,

In Baghdad, the Electricity Ministry says many residents are rationed to three hours of power, followed by three hours of blackout. That is less power than they got before the war. But Baghdad residents say the power cuts seem to be random, and often longer than the ministry reports.

But, of course, as I noted last month, Bremer subsequently moved the goalposts, pushing his target date later and later.

No comments: