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By Steven Vincent Basra, Iraq — In the middle of an interview with Sheik Abdul al-Baghdali, an American-hating supporter of Moqtada al-Sadr, the lights in his office suddenly went out. "This is what your country has done to Iraq," he snorted, "stolen its electricity." On his pumpkin-sized face was the insufferable smirk of a man who knows — right or wrong — he has you beat in an argument.

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So what's the solution to Basra's energy woes? The World Bank estimates that Iraq's entire power sector needs investments of $12 billion. In a recent press conference, Iraq's electricity minister Mohsen Alloush stated that the country needed $20 billion to raise the grid to 18,000 megawatts by 2010 — although some estimates put the amount at $35 billion. Whatever the figure, it is certain to exceed the $5.5 billion Congress appropriated for Iraq's electricity in 2003 (along with $1.2 billion of these funds the U.S. has already spent, $1 billion was withdrawn to fund security programs).

Importing electricity from neighboring countries is another option — and indeed, Iraq currently imports some 100 MW a year from Iran, an amount that Tehran says will increase to 400 MW in two years. Turkey exports around 350 MW, and plans to increase that amount to 1,000 MW. Other electricity sources include Syria and Kuwait.

This juice is expensive, however. Kuwait, for example, charges around 90 Iraq dinars per kilowat hour — 45 times what its costs Iraqi to produce the same amount. Besides, observed Dr. B, "countries don't like to export electricity to Iraq. Sabotage to our electrical lines causes short-circuits in theirs."

The government could begin charging for kahrabaa. But how would they collect the fees? Currently, there are no methods for billing individual homes, and, more importantly, no system of enforcement to ensure payment compliance. "In any case, people would just continue doing what they're doing now — stealing electricity by tapping into power lines," remarked Dr. B.

That leaves conservation. Abbas estimated that if Basrans reduce their energy consumption by half, they could enjoy 24-hour electricity. "It would be a hardship, but not impossible." To test his theory, I asked friends if they'd be willing to cut back on their lights, wide-screen TV watching, washing machines and, above all, air conditioning. Without exception the response was no. "Why should we? Iraq sits on a sea of oil," is a typical response, followed by the usual slam against America.

"Well, of course," Abbas replied, when I gave him the results of my poll. "People were deprived of power for so long, they now feel they have a right to as much as possible." Sighing, he added, "Iraqis have no sense of moderation. If you're thirsty, you drink as much as you can, even if you're no longer thirsty. Basrans have gotten used to a certain degree of comfort, and they don't want to let it go." It's not an answer that would satisfy Sheik Baghdali, of course — but then again, for Basrans like him, it's always easier to sit in the dark in an un-air conditioned room and curse America.

http://www.nationalreview.com/commen...0508020823.asp