Militias Seizing Control of Electricity Grid ... LINK

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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/23/world/middleeast/23electricity.html?ex=1345521600&en=ec2685fb33d35d33&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

"Militias Seizing Control of Iraqi Electricity Grid

BAGHDAD, Aug. 22 — Armed groups increasingly control the antiquated switching stations that channel electricity around Iraq, the electricity minister said Wednesday.

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Because of the lack of functioning dispatch centers, Mr. Wahid said, ministry officials have been trying to control the flow of electricity from huge power plants in the south, north and west by calling local officials there and ordering them to physically flip switches.

But the officials refuse to follow those orders when the armed groups threaten their lives, he said, and the often isolated stations are abandoned at night and easily manipulated by whatever group controls the area.

This kind of manipulation can cause the entire system to collapse and bring nationwide blackouts, sometimes seriously damaging the generating plants that the United States has paid millions of dollars to repair."

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1. surging into darkness

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2. In 115 - 130F weather, no electricity directly impacts every Iraqi