http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/82448.html
How much has the government spent on our antiquated grid lately?
The U.S. has spent more than $732 million to improve Afghanistan's electrical grid since 2002, but delays and rising costs have plagued many of the projects in part because of poor oversight by the American government, a watchdog agency reports.
In 2006, the USAID awarded the two U.S. companies a five-year, $1.4 billion joint contract to build many of the roads and energy projects that now are under way in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's electrical capacity has increased in the last eight years from 430 megawatts to more than 1,028 megawatts, a significant achievement in a country in which only about 6 percent of rural citizens have electricity, the auditors said.
However, it's unclear whether Afghanistan will be able to operate the system without foreign aid, they said.
One major hurdle is collecting enough money to keep the grid running, the report said. The reason: systemic corruption.
