Posted on 02/15/2010 1:01:37 PM PST by SandRat
BAGHDAD - Sustainable electrical power has been in short supply here for years. But for the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, charged with protecting the Iraqi public, having uninterrupted electrical power to its 11-story headquarters building is not an option; it’s a necessity. And when faced with an aged, deteriorating electrical distribution system, the MoI turned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region District for solutions to upgrade the system.
Tim Ernster, GRD Loyalty Resident Office electrical engineer, says the goal of the $6.5 million electrical distribution project is to both upgrade the MoI’s electrical system and double its current capacity.
“The essence of the Ministry of Interior electrical upgrade project is to enhance the capacity and reliability of the electrical service to the headquarters building,” he said. “The project basically doubles the amount of electrical power the headquarters building can safely consume by changing out various switchgears and transformers within the building and constructing a new substation and backup power generator farm to supply more sources of energy.”
Ernster says a third part of the plan includes constructing a paralleling switchgear facility to integrate the two main power sources with the existing utility feed.
“Taken together, these three sources of energy will reduce electrical shortages and blackouts within the headquarters building,” he said. “As the Ministry of Interior modernizes with new technologies, the electrical infrastructure within its headquarters building will need to reliably handle the added energy demand.”
Civilian Technologies Limited, the general contractor for the electrical distribution system upgrade, will undertake the Iraqi Security Forces Fund-sponsored project, scheduled for completion in October.
The USACE in Iraq has completed thousands of reconstruction projects in partnership with the U.S. Government and the Government of Iraq. Since 2004, USACE has completed 5,257 projects throughout Iraq valued at more than $9.1 billion, and has more than 350 projects ongoing. The overall reconstruction effort in Iraq currently provides jobs for more than 20,000 Iraqis.
For high resolution photos, visit: www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/index.asp
Mike Scheck is a public affairs specialist with the Gulf Region District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Iraq. For more information, contact Mike Scheck at 540.542.1437 or email requests to Michael.P.Scheck@usace.army.mil This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
For more information on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq, visit www.grd.usace.army.mil.
Smart move. When the people become comfortable to something as basic as Electrical service. The people will not take lightly thugs bombing.
Who pays for projects like this? Are the Iraqis now picking up the tab for their infrastructure projects or are we still doing that?
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