More than 22 miles of roadway here and in surrounding communities are now fully lighted with 1,200 solar powered street lights, thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region District.

The third and final phase of the project was completed recently by project engineers at Al-Anbar Resident Office, based in Ramadi.

“The administration of this project is an excellent example of USACE’s commitment to building Iraq’s technical capacity,” said Army Maj. Joseph Geary, officer in charge of the resident office. Iraqi engineers employed by Gulf Region District were key liaisons with local electrical department representatives and city leaders, Geary noted.

The project engineer was Nasir Elias, an Iraqi civil engineer who has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for more than three years. He was assisted by Iraqi quality-assurance representatives Mohammed Kasim Abbas and Hussein al-Jaboree.

Solar power is widely recognized as a method for reducing the reliance on carbon-based energy generation and the resulting greenhouse gasses held responsible for global climate change. Solar power in Iraq, however, has a more palpable benefit. Iraq’s degraded power distribution infrastructure causes frequent and unexpected outages. Unlike Iraq’s electrical power grid, officials explained, the sun is a near constant.

In a country with limited power-generation capabilities, solar lights allow energy to be redistributed to areas of critical need. In an area where hard-wired lights may operate only for a couple of hours, a solar-powered light will provide continuous illumination through the night.

The final phase of the project was completed, Dec. 28, at a cost of $2.9 million.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq has completed thousands of reconstruction projects in partnership with the U.S. and Iraqi governments. 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.

DVIDS
By Scott Harris

Newly installed electrical power equipment in Fallujah Iraq

A 132-kilovolt substation in Fallujah, projected for completion in October, will result in more consistent and stable electricity for Fallujah residents.

The $14.8 million project is being managed by the Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq, and funded by the Iraqi Relief and Reconstruction Fund.

The substation was damaged in a fire caused by circuit breaker failure in Jan. 2005, and was identified by the Division’s Gulf Region District as a significant capacity-building project for Fallujah.

Maj. Joseph Geary, the officer in charge of the District’s resident office in Fallujah, praised the team for working steadfastly on the project and overcoming various issues, including getting the equipment on site in good condition.

For example, when a transformer arrived damaged, security concerns hindered its delivery to the repair facility in another province. GRD officials and the contractor worked together to negotiate the transport and repair of the critical component. Now, in coordination with Iraqi security forces, the project is progressing along.

“It’s a great story where the contractor, GRD and the Deputy General from the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity all worked together to move this project closer to the finish line,” said Geary.

The transformer is at the factory for repair and is expected to be ready in approximately 60 days. In the meantime, the contractor is continuing to work on the switching equipment and other internal components.

When the 132-kilovolt substation is complete, the Fallujah Minister of Electricity will have more latitude in managing the power grid as it relates to allocating power from area to area.

Improvements at the Fallujah substation will also provide expansion capacity with the addition of another bay and main transformer.

During its peak construction season, construction of the Fallujah substation employed
40 Iraqi workers.

The Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq has completed thousands of reconstruction projects in partnership with the U.S. government and the government of Iraq. Since 2004, GRD has completed 4,626 projects throughout Iraq valued at more than $7.2 billion, and has 287 projects ongoing.

MNF-I
By Ronald A. Reeves
Gulf Region District

Silver Star

Stars & Stripes

On the eve of last November’s battle for Fallujah, Lt. Col. Peter Newell and Capt. Kirk Mayfield stood together on a rooftop at the edge of the city thinking about the fight to come.

The Germany-based Task Force 2-2 led by Newell’s 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment and including Mayfield’s Troop F, 4th Cavalry Regiment as well as the 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment would join a Marine division in an assault on the city that had turned into Iraq’s nastiest nest of insurgents.

That night, Mayfield’s company rained artillery and mortar fire on an entrenched enemy platoon, the first skirmish in what was to be the biggest Iraq operation since the fall of Baghdad. For much of the next two weeks, he and his men were under fierce enemy fire.

Newell said he never doubted his troops would win the battle.

“It was [over] before the fight started,” he said. “It was just a matter of how long it was going to take.”

2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment

Newell deployed a 550-soldier mechanized task force on 72 hours notice to Fallujah in November 2004, leading a continuous 12-day attack in the heavily fortified Askari district. His forces overwhelmed resistance in the first 14 hours, ultimately killing 330 enemy fighters, capturing 48 others, destroying 38 weapons caches, two roadside- bomb factories and one car-bomb factory while becoming the first battalion in the division to achieve its objective.

On Nov. 12, Newell was caught in an ambush following an 11-hour night attack. Narrowly escaping enemy fire, he left his tracked vehicle and personally assisted in the evacuation of a mortally wounded officer.