BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 30, 2004 — A new generator is turning this afternoon in central Iraq, producing enough electricity to service nearly 100,000 Iraqi homes, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials.

The 33-Megawatt generator at the Qudas Power Station north of Baghdad is the seventh generator Iraqi and U.S. engineers have brought on line this month, bringing the national electricity capacity to more than 5,300 Megawatts - a level that exceeds the country’s pre-war capacity of 4,400 Megawatts.

“This is very good news,” said Raad Shalal, a senior Iraq Ministry of Electricity official. “This will help to reduce the shortage of electricity across the country.”

Iraq and U.S. engineers have reduced the shortage this month, adding 202 Megawatts to the national grid.

“We know how important electricity is to the safety and security of the Iraqi people, and we continue to work on their

behalf with the Ministry to bring the country additional electricity,” said Lt. Col Jeffery Ogden, the director of the Corp’s Restore Iraqi Electricity Directorate. “We continue to work in partnership with the Ministry of Electricity and the Iraqi people to bring more electricity to the country.”

Despite the addition of power to the country’s national grid, the demand for electricity in Iraq continues to grow, according to a fact sheet published by the Iraq Ministry of Electricity.

“With more than half a million new jobs created, new industries and new factories coming on line and with the sale of thousands of home appliances such as washing machines and air conditioners, Iraq has experienced a rapid increase in electricity demand,” the fact sheet reads. “The increase in demand is a good sign of a thriving economy emerging from three decades of isolation.”

Since beginning its work in the country nearly a year ago, the Corps has added an additional 1,574 Megawatts to the Iraqi national grid.