Power production averaged 4,550 megawatts a day from July through September, above the pre-war daily average of 4,075 megawatts, which the report attributed to ongoing construction and fewer insurgent attacks, USA Today reported.

However, the record daily electricity production of 123,000 megawatt-hours on Sept. 16 still only met 60 percent of demand, the report said.

Elsewhere, two road projects in the city of Mosul were completed with no problems,

The SIGIR report said despite the progress, much remains to be done in the $45 billion U.S. reconstruction effort, and obstacles include widespread corruption and the simmering regional and tribal tensions.

One stubborn failure noted was a $27 million project meant to improve the Mosul Dam on the Tigris River. Contractors say the structure will require constant work because Saddam Hussein's government built it on unstable soil.