BAGHDAD, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. military says infrastructure work in Iraq has connected more residents to electricity, though its oil production numbers are doubted.
The U.S. Army's biweekly Iraq Reconstruction Report, released this week, shows Defense Department projects have "increased power generation" to 1.3 million homes, nearly half a million less than its 1.7 million homes goal.
It has "improved electricity distribution" to about 340,000 homes, compared with its 820,000-home goal.
While reconstruction projects have increased oil production capacity to 2.5 million barrels per day, the Army report states, production is at 2.37 million barrels per day.
Saad Rahim, an oil risk analyst with PFC Energy in Washington, says industry figures have production at less than 1.9 million bpd amid ongoing and increasing violence; the oil infrastructure is a frequent target.
The Defense Department says it has paid out $9.5 billion in Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Funds, 70.6 percent of allocated funds. It also reports 2,432 projects are completed of the 3,308 scheduled.
