Powering Yemen:
A Tale of Life and Hope:
Improving the lives of
Yemeni locals through the installation of
a 54 MW power plant in
23 days in Aden, Yemen
Watch the video, below,
and learn how Altaaqa Global built a power plant in just 23 days, helping more
than half a million people in Yemen. The project avoided political, economic
and social tension in Yemen.
Background
After the
Arab Spring revolution, the country was left with myriad challenges, among
which was an escalating energy crisis. The power uncertainty caused political
tension, economic losses and social unrest not only in the province but also in
the entire country. The Government of Yemen, with the aim of easing the
pressure as immediately as possible, sought for the assistance ofAltaaqa Global
CAT Rental Power to build a 54 MW power plant in just 23 days.
On top of various
technical problems, including lack of power plants, unstable grid and
insufficient power distribution facilities, and power outages lasting for 14
hours at a time, the society was depressed and desperate to receive some relief. Heads of families were losing their jobs due to company closure,
children were not attending school from lack of necessary initiatives, crimes
were thriving as localities remain unlit at night, patients in hospitals were
dying as apparatus that sustained their lives have ceased working.
To add to
the technical complexity of the 54 MW project, the security situation in Yemen at
that time was daunting. At the height of the terrorism alert in the country,
all of the foreigners were advised by their respective countries to flee Yemen.
Altaaqa Global, too, was advised to abort its project and to go back to its
headquarters, but it did not heed the call. The call of duty to provide
electricity to the depressed areas of Aden and, ultimately, to start putting an
end to the widespread social and political unrest in the country was louder
than the appeal for retreat.
Description and
Development
In
recognition of the unique circumstances surrounding the project, Altaaqa Global
carefully calculated the risks involved in staying in Yemen amidst the security
advisory and ascertained the necessary counter-steps in cases of terrorist
attacks. In formulating a sustainable plan of action, Altaaqa Global employed a
completely new mindset and attempted to do what other companies and entities
considered as undoable.
 |
Steven
Meyrick (left), Board Representative of Altaaqa Global, explains to the
Governor of Aden (Middle) and PEC Director General (Right) how the company’s
power solutions ended the power crisis in Aden
|
 |
This photo was taken on the day where all Western embassies
closed down in Yemen, with Steven Meyrick, Board Representative of Altaaqa
Global and Mahmoud El Zaafarany, Sales Manager for MENA of Altaaqa Global
The company
has set up a detailed plan on how to mitigate the effects of the security
instability in the country and on how to counter terrorist attacks, social
protests and politically motivated destabilization attempts.
One of the
most compelling reasons why Altaaqa Global endured the hostilities in Yemen was
that it recognized what the 54 MW project really meant for the people of Aden:
A new life and hope for their future. Thus, in addition to swiftly installing the
necessary power plants, in synergy with the local governments, NGOs, social
development entities and the national government, ATG pursued providing career opportunities to the locals, supporting school children in their
educational needs, and launching a large-scale, nationwide energy conservation
campaign.
Altaaqa
Global hired and trained local Yemeni engineers, which ultimately comprised 95%
of the workforce for the project.
  
Some
Yemeni engineers who were hired to take part in the 54 MW power plant project.
They were all trained in matters of safety, health, environment, quality and
engineering installation
 |
A Yemeni engineer in training on HSE global standards prior
to deployment. One challenge for Altaaqa Global in Yemen was to implement a
global HSE standard that will protect the lives of the workers, the integrity
of the equipment and the environment
By hiring
Yemeni engineers, Altaaqa Global showed its commitment to helping its immediate
environs through the creation of employment opportunities in the areas where it
operates. The company invested a significant amount of resources to train the
Yemeni workforce not only to ensure that the company’s operations was still on
an optimum level but also to effectively transfer the company’s operational and
technical know-how to engineers that would eventually assist in rebuilding
their country. Altaaqa Global’s ultimate goal was to impart its operational and
technological innovation while maintaining its safety standards and
processes.
As a result
of this intensive drive, Altaaqa Global was able to successfully complete the
project without any accidents, casualties or deaths.
As the 54 MW
project was being carried out during the Holy Month of Ramadan, Altaaqa Global would
host the Yemeni workers and the local communities to Iftar (breaking of the
fast) dinners. This brought the company closer to the locals, which, in turn,
provided the “first line of defense” to the company’s assets and equipment.
This proved that security transcends the exhibition of arms and uniforms – the
people of Aden themselves largely contributed in ensuring that the project was
successfully and peacefully seen through, recognizing the salient benefits that
a sustainable and continuous supply of power could afford their community.
For the
local school children, Altaaqa Global also donated one crayon for every
kilowatt rented, which meant that the company donated 54,000 crayons to Yemeni
children. In addition to crayons, Altaaqa Global also handed out several
important school supplies, as notebooks, books, pens, pencils, bags and lunch
packs. For the company, this is a necessary step towards achieving its goal of
being able to build classrooms for impoverished children in remote communities
worldwide by 2020.
Altaaqa Global launched an educational campaign in Yemen to
highlight the importance of saving electricity. The campaign lasted for six
months and was regarded as the first large-scale energy conservation campaign
in the country.
To further
optimize the benefits of having a sustainable and continuous power supply, the
citizens needed to be informed on how to conserve electricity. In this light,
Altaaqa Global, in collaboration with various social development entities and
non-governmental organizations, launched a six-month educational campaign in
Yemen on how to save energy by following simple steps that could be carried out
at home. The campaign was aimed at informing the citizens that having a supply
of electricity was just an initial step towards social stability. By educating
the local community of the adverse effects of power wastage, in synergy with
various local governments, schools, non-governmental organizations, media and
local communities, achieving sustainable power in Yemen was proven possible.
As part of
its commitment to help the local communities, Altaaqa Global invested a
significant amount of our resources in sports and arts programs that will help
foster a better understanding of various cultures, promote healthy living and
appreciation of arts. Altaaqa
Global sponsored AED 250,000 worth of its equipment for the world’s largest
Beach Polo event that will benefit various charitable institutions that focuses
on children’s education.
Impact and Benefits
Thanks to a
well-defined plan of action, impeccable coordination among various project
stakeholders, over 100 years of combined expertise on the ground, groundbreaking
power technologies, close communion with the locals, and unwavering commitment
to an avowed mission, Altaaqa Global did what others thought was impossible: It
successfully, peacefully and safely installed 54 MW of power in just 23 days. The
installed power plant benefitted more than half a million people.
Through the
54 MW project, Altaaqa Global was able to create job opportunities for and hone
the ingenuity of the local communities. The company successfully bridged the observed
knowledge gap by training the local engineers in operational and technical best
practices, as well as in equipment handling and worker safety.
Local school
children were supported in their education by distributing necessary
educational items and supplies. In addition, they were also encouraged to
participate in various sports and arts programs to help them lift the traumatic
effects of the mass revolution, and appreciate cultural diversity, the benefits
of healthy living and the beauty and meaning of art.
Planned
energy conservation campaigns were successfully launched and sustained within
the projected duration. Altaaqa Global’s initiative was to educate the local
community, the city and the entire country of Yemen about energy conservation
and how, together with a continuous and viable supply of power, it could lead
to sustainable development.
In the
advent of the 54 MW temporary power plant, businesses were afforded continuous
and sustainable power to carry out their activities, local employment
opportunities were maintained, schools resumed classes, hospitals recommenced
operations, political and social unrest progressively subsided and the trust in
the national government was gradually restored.
The project had had
tangible benefits to Aden that its Government has added another 50 MW to the
exisiting installation, bringing the plant's total capacity to more than 100
MW.
The Governor of Aden, Yemen and the Director-General or
Public Electricity Corporation inaugurated the 54 MW power plant. They are
flanked by several local tribe leaders and Altaaqa Global officials .
Reason
Altaaqa
Global did not just construct a power plant in Yemen: It helped rebuild a
nation, it assisted in uniting a divided country, it aided in tapering an
insurgent mass demonstration and it supported a land picking up the pieces
after a revolution. At the heart of the 54 MW power plant project was the
objective of uplifting the lives of the Yemeni citizens, which were heavily
devastated by the political and social turmoil that they had gone through. The
project meant more than bridging the power gap. With the development as an
instrument, Altaaqa Global was able to touch the lives of the local
communities in Aden by providing them employment opportunities and educational
assistance. The company was also able to educate the people of Yemen on how to
effectively utilize the newly installed energy source. The power plants
installed in Yemen, thus, became symbols of a new life and of hope for the citizens of Yemen.
Watch the video, below, and learn how Altaaqa Global built a power plant in just 23 days, helping more than half a million people in Yemen. The project avoided political, economic and social tension in Yemen.
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