VOA常速英语2008年-Iraq's Energy Chiefs Work on Plan to Deal with

By Daniel Schearf
Irbil, Iraq
16 February 2008

Iraqi officials say they are formulating¹ a plan to deal with the country's widespread energy shortages. Iraq is believed to have the third largest reserves of oil in the world, but years of fighting, sabotage², and looting have set back efforts to exploit its energy resources. Daniel Schearf reports from the northern Iraqi city of Irbil.

Iraq's electricity and oil ministers say they are working on a plan to improve electric power production for the energy-starved country.

Iraq's Minister of Oil Hussain Al-Shahristani says both ministries³ are trying to find the best way to work together to support power stations to make electricity. He says they know the Iraqi people need electric power and says they will work to resolve any problems they may face to reactivate power stations to supply the people.

Iraq's national electric grid⁴ is not being maintained well and frequently breaks down causing widespread blackouts. City dwellers⁵, including those in Baghdad, only receive a few hours of electricity a day at best.

Attacks on pipelines⁷ and power stations have crippled attempts to dramatically improve oil and energy production and transportation.

A truck bomb Sunday took out a key generating plant in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. It was followed Monday by a sabotage blast that destroyed a section of a major natural gas pipeline⁶ in northern Iraq leaving parts of the country without electricity for at least a week.

Minister of Electricity Karim Waheed says the government will repair storage facilities to receive fuel. He says the joint⁸ master plan with the Ministry⁹ of Oil must be finished in one week. He says the strategic plan calls for them to work together to get stations to supply maximum power. Waheed says the plan will cover many past contracts already signed and that future projects would be signed for five year terms.

Waheed did not say whether international contracts signed by the Kurdish Regional Government in the north would be included in the master plan.

The central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish government in Irbil have been struggling for control of oil wealth in the north.

The largely autonomous¹⁰ Kurdish government has been signing deals with foreign oil firms, leading Baghdad to black-list future deals with those countries.

On Thursday the Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan signed a multi-billion dollar deal with South Korea to develop four oil fields in the north.

1 formulating   

v.构想出( formulate的现在分词 )；规划；确切地阐述；用公式表示

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese government is formulating nationwide regulations on the control of such chemicals. 目前，中国政府正在制定全国性的易制毒化学品管理条例。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Because of this, the U.S. has taken further steps in formulating the \"Magellan\" programme. 为此，美国又进一步制定了“麦哲伦”计划。 来自百科语句

2 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

3 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

4 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

5 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

7 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

8 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。