Lights On in Iraq
By James Bullinger, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region South District
Reconstruction in Iraq is not without its challenges, as members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division, learn everyday.
Many are aware of the media criticism concerning Iraq’s recurring problems of electrical power outages and rationing throughout the country. But seldom is the overall power situation adequately discussed with an eye to the causes of these problems and how the Corps of Engineers is effectively working to resolve them.
According to Lewis Tyler, project manager for the electrical sector within Gulf Region South District headquarters, Iraq’s electrical infrastructure consists of three inter-related parts: generation - the production of electricity; transmission - moving electricity to user communities; and distribution - providing power to the end consumers.
The main challenge in Iraq lies in the country’s transmission and distribution networks.
Most of Iraq’s electrical structure dates back to the 1950s and 1960s, when the country first built much of its present-day capability. During the Saddam Hussein era, little in the way of resources was devoted to maintaining, upgrading or expanding electric power networks. The meager resources that were allotted were mostly used to enhance the capital city of Baghdad or focused on Saddam’s palaces across the country. The results of that neglect have been causing significant problems with distribution for much of the past year.
The failures of the former regime to provide for network maintenance have been compounded by the new Iraq’s relative affluence. With a rise in incomes and availability of goods, the demand for power has frequently spiked.
“Individual Iraqis are experiencing a prosperity that was unheard of during the Saddam years,” Tyler said. “Many Iraqis are now working and purchasing items that were once beyond their means or only permitted for a select few under Saddam’s rule. The average Iraqi is now buying air conditioners, fans, TVs, refrigerators and appliances, cell phones and computers, which were once unavailable to them, and this has increased electrical demands everywhere.
” As a result,” Tyler said, “the old lines and transformers cannot sustain the demands or loads being places on them and they’re overheating, overloading and failing.”
Tyler explained many Iraqis don’t understand they can’t connect multiple high amperage appliances to a line designed for one without incurring a meltdown or burnout somewhere along the system.
“Most of the transformers serving local communities and homes, which converts high voltage power down to a usable 220 volts, date back to the ’50s,” he said. “These transformers are already worn out and should have been replaced decades ago, but that didn’t happen and many are now failing all across the country.”
The antiquated equipment extends challenges to the transmission of power throughout the country, before it ever reaches the end user.
Many of Iraq’s transmission lines cannot handle today’s rated power outputs of 400,000 volts coming from electrical generation sites. The problem is complicated by a shortage of properly equipped electrical substations along the transmission lines - units required to step-down the voltage coming in to make it usable for commercial and residential users.
A case in point, the city of An Nasiriyah recently experienced an implosion of its electrical distribution network. In June of this year, intermittent power surges began destroying many of the transformers around the city. By the end of that month, the situation was severe. In order to protect the remaining transformers, power rationing was put into effect, thus insuring every user was able to receive power.
By early August, residents of the town were demonstrating out of frustration over the situation. Increasing hostility culminated in reports of threats to the life of the Dhi Qar province director general for electricity. Provincial and city officials contacted Gulf Region South’s Reconstruction Liaison Team with an urgent request for assistance.
The RLT serves as a go-between for local Iraqi government officials and community leaders, as well as with the staff of GRS.
On the recommendation of the regional liaisons, GRS quickly located 50 electrical transformers to help repair the Nasiriyah distribution network.
“We were able to quickly help Nasiriyah and (the) Ministry of Electricity in this matter working through our RLT,” Tyler said, “The RLT also coordinated the security for the delivery.”
To date, over $942 million in contracts to rebuild or add new electrical capacity have been awarded in the Gulf Region South district. When complete, 60 new substations will be in place to provide safe, reliable power to the residents of the region.
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