Work Progresses On Iraqi Electrical Grid One Year After War

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - MARCH 14: Iraqi engineers and construction personnel work to restore full electrical power generation capabilities at the Daura Power Station March 14, 2004 in Baghdad, Iraq. Nearly a year after the U.S.-led war against Iraq, the Daura plant only produces approximately 100 to 200 megawatts of a potential 640 megawatts of power for the city of Baghdad due to poor past maintenance and degraded equipment. For much of the last year, USAID has undertaken a major restoration of the Daura power station at a cost of about $55 million dollars with the cooperation of U.S. contractor Bechtel and German sub-contractor Siemens. USAID lists the project as one of it's most important electrical projects in Iraq, and expects work on the project to be completed in the summer of 2004. Currently, the Iraqi electrical grid, in whole, is producing power at pre-war levels or slightly above, but is expected to increase capacity by more than a third by the end of the year due to numerous reconstruction efforts such as the one by USAID at the Daura facility. (Photo by Scott Nelson/Getty Images)