New Power Cable Helps Bring Reliable Electricity to Northern Baghdad

By Jenna Bisenius, Iraq Project and Contracting Office

Baghdad, Iraq - Greatte residents in the northern Baghdad district of Adhamiyah will soon be the recipients of more reliable electricity, due in part to the installation of two and a half miles of underground power cable. The cable will connect two new substations, helping bring power to approximately 2,500 to 3,000 local homes.

Experts expect the power cable project, which began in July 2005, to be finished this month once testing is complete. The Project & Contracting Office's (PCO) Electricity Sector is overseeing the $1.4 million project; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Regional Division is responsible for project quality control.

The underground cable will take 33,000 volts of power from one substation to another, where it will be converted down to 11,000 volts. From there, power will feed to a distribution network of poles, cables, and overhead lines supplying electricity to homes and businesses.

During its active phase, the project employed approximately 100 Iraqi workers per day. They performed power cable work by hand, from the digging of the trench and laying of cable to the sidewalk restoration above the cables. This method allowed for employing more Iraqi workers, says the PCO Electricity Sector manager for the project, thereby helping the local economy benefit by more dollars staying in the surrounding community.

The Electricity Sector is one of four PCO sectors managing reconstruction projects throughout Iraq. The other sectors are Oil, Public Works and Water, and Facilities and Transportation.

In total, the PCO Electrical Sector is responsible for 434 projects valued at approximately $3.2 billion. To date, the Electricity Sector has completed more than 80 projects totaling an estimated $660 million. Currently, an estimated $1.3 billion is being used on projects that are now in progress. This leaves $1.2 billion for remaining projects.

The majority of 352 remaining Electricity Sector projects are scheduled for completion by December 2006.

Source: CENTCOM