Administrator's Weekly Essential Services Report

Administrator's Weekly Essential Services Report February 7 - 13, 2004 HIGHLIGHTS Average peak electricity production hit its highest point post-war, 4,260 MW. Since May 2003, CPA has reinstated telephone service for 67,300 subscribers, including 15,000 (a 29 percent increase) in the past week . I. Provide Electricity Services that Meet National Needs Improve generating capacity to 6000MW by July 1, 2004; Fully implement policy on allocation of electrical power; Publish draft of long term strategy; Minimize Sabotage and Improve Security § The seven-day average (February 7-13) of peak electricity production was 4,260 MW, an increase of 8.7 percent over the previous week. This was the highest weekly average for peak electricity since May 2003. On February 13, peak production hit a high point of 4,488 MW, the highest point since October 6, 2003, and above the pre-war peak of 4,400 MW. § The seven-day average (February 7-13) production of electrical energy was 93,426 MWh per day, an increase of 6.3 percent over the previous week. This was the highest weekly average of electrical energy production since May 2003. On February 13, the production of electrical energy peaked at 98,917 MWh, the highest post-war point. § During the reporting period, the North consumed an average of 942 MW per day, 24 percent of total power consumption. Per day, the Central region consumed 2,293 MW, 57 percent of the total, and the South consumed 758 MW, 19 percent of total electricity consumption during the past week. § As of February 13, 533 MW (17 generators) of generating capacity was on forced (unplanned) outage, and 996 MW (18 generators) was on scheduled outage. As of February 13, eight (400 kV) transmission lines and seven (132 kV) lines were out of service. II. Reconstruct Communications and Postal Systems Build Iraq’s first responder network; Establish independent regulatory agency; Upgrade Iraqi Telephone and Postal Company (ITPC) network for interoperability; Build transmission component data network for Iraq, including international gateways; Restructure ITPC and its business operations; Upgrade and modernize postal systems; Upgrade ITPC outside plant for increased subscriber capacity and use § Since May 2003, CPA has reinstated telephone service for 67,300 subscribers, including 15,000 (a 29 percent increase) since last week, and continues to make progress in restoring service to customers, especially in Baghdad. § In April 2003, the Iraqi telephone system was capable of providing service to 1.1 million customers, but there were only 833,000 active subscribers (excluding the three Northern governorates). Currently there are 649,900 active telephone subscribers in Iraq. The penetration rate (the number of active telephone subscribers as a percentage of the population) is 2.5 percent (using an estimated population of 25.9 million). § The percentage of active subscribers in Baghdad increased by 4 percent over last week: § CPA has repaired 17 telephone switches since May 2003 with full supporting service (office space, power, fiber transmission connections to other switches, security). Five switches are still inoperable (out of 203 total). · On February 10, a team from Bechtel, ITPC and Lucent performed a complete test of the sonnet ring system, including the ten connected switches as well as the international satellite gateway. The system passed its tests with excellence. III. Provide Food Security for all Iraqis Enhance capacity of Ministry of Agriculture; Assure supply of inputs; Strengthen research system; Ensure adequate stocks for Public Distribution System (PDS); Monitor food security; Hand over administration of system in the North; Initiate reform of rations basket; Environmental Initiatives · The 2004 budget allots 5.25 trillion Iraqi dinars for the Public Distribution System ($3.5 billion). Estimated costs of the PDS are $280 million per month for approximately 530,000 tons of food. These rations are planned for 100 percent of the 26.3 million people in Iraq; estimates indicate that 90 percent of the population receives rations while 60 percent are dependent on them for survival. · Currently there are 1,452 confirmed contracts for 1,873,000 tons of supplies. Only 258 contracts are unconfirmed, for 741,000 tons of supplies. · There are three sources of food commodities to meet the country’s ration requirements over the coming five months: 1) existing Oil for Food (OFF) contracts carried over from the United Nations, which will supply most commodities through April and into May; 2) new procurement by the World Food Program (WFP) which commenced this week; 3) Ministry of Trade (MOT) procurement, which will begin as a “pilot” in February. The WFP is securing food through these additional procurement contracts using nearly $1 billion of the PDS allocation. MOT will use the remainder of the PDS budget as they resume responsibility for procurement, contracting, and delivery in preparation for taking complete control of procurement on April 1 and all aspects of the pipeline on July 1. · The goal of the Ministry is to have three months of buffer stocks, in addition to monthly requirements for July, on hand when transition occurs on July 1, 2004. Interim goals are a one-month buffer stock by May 1, and two-month buffer stock by June 1. Building the capacity of the port at Um-Qasr for increased wheat and commodity shipments will help facilitate the accomplishment of these goals. The aim is to increase capacity from less than 8000 metric tons of wheat per day to 12,000 metric tons by April 1. · Shortages exist in the food pipeline for immediate rice distribution in February, and for national wheat and milk in April. CPA is working with MOT to address these shortages and ensure the identification of future shortages early. New procurement by WFP and MOT will soon eliminate those shortages present in the current food pipeline. IV. Improve Quality and Access to Healthcare Develop health care organizations, management, and infrastructure; Train health care professionals; Secure system; Public health; Pharmaceuticals logistic support; Strategic communications § The Ministry of Health (MoH) signed a Memorandum of Agreement on February 8 with the Iraqi Armed Forces (IAF) to provide the healthcare workers, medical supplies, and equipment necessary for the IAF to train for and perform its mission in the defense of Iraq. § The Minister of Health gave his final approval to the Partners in Healthcare for Iraq Program, establishing direct linkages between U.S., U.K., and Iraqi healthcare organizations in coordination with the Iraqi Ministry of Health. The project focuses on sharing healthcare knowledge as the primary catalyst for effective modernization. § The Minister of Health signed an agreement with the Spanish Government on the renovation of the Al-Eskan Children’s Hospital in Baghdad. The agreement, worth €8.4 million, includes medical equipment and infrastructure improvements. V. Improve Quality and Access to Education Reorganize and staff the Ministry of Education; Rehabilitate school buildings and build new schools; Advance national dialogue on curriculum reform; Continue and expand teacher training · Ministry of Education (MoE) engineers are assisting the Program Management Office (PMO) in inspecting more than 1,000 schools scheduled for rehabilitation under supplemental funds. The MoE engineers will work throughout Iraq and coordinate the inspection and school construction process with CPA contractors, Directors General of Education, and the schools’ headmasters. · The Ministry of Education is reclaiming the National Center for Examinations building in Rusafa 2 as its Ministry headquarters. VI. Improve Water Resources Management Prepare for sovereignty; Build ministry capacity; Infrastructure improvements; Facilities improvements § The total reservior system storage volume is approximately 82% of the volume expected for this time of year. The total system is low because of excessive releases from Dokan and Derbendikhan for electricity generation. VII. Restore Economically – Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Enable Iraqi civil aviation to prepare for international commercial aviation and cargo service; Enable Iraqi Port Authority (IPA) to administer a port of call with intermodal capabilities and inland container distribution; Enable Iraqi Railroad Railways (IRR) to provide domestic and international passenger and freight capabilities; Reform Civil Service at Ministry of Transportation § CPA, the Ministry of Transportation (MoT), and UNDP signed a contract last week to remove large amounts of scrap from wrecks covering the docks at Umm Qasr. The UNDP-funded work will increase the port’s capacity by 10 percent within a short time. § The MoT restored passenger rail service between Baghdad and Mosul this week after a two-month suspension. The MoT stopped the trains last December because a fire from a nearby oil pipeline attack had severely damaged a railway drainage culvert near Tulul Al Baqq. MoT decided this week that passenger trains could safely be reinstituted while construction on a detour was completed. The Iraqi Republic Railway (IRR) now operates daily passenger trains between Baghdad and Basra, Baghdad and Haseiba, Baghdad and Mosul, and Mosul and Aleppo, Syria. § The Iraqi Republic Railway is moving 25,000 tons of grain from the Syrian border to various inland points. The IRR will deliver 25 trainloads of grain by the end of February. § MoT staff in Baghdad, Basra, and Umm Qasr have finalized the disbursement of salaries to Ports Company workers, and are working to fully transition Ports Company workers from the 4-grade pay scale to the new 11-grade pay scale. Previously, the Basra treasury has been slow to disburse salaries because of these pay scale changes and management difficulties.