Powering
beyond all odds:
How a 54 MW Power Plant
was installed in 23 days
in Yemen amidst technical challenges
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.
http://youtu.be/FdCq_sazqiM
Background
When the Arab Spring revolution ended, the province of Aden, Yemen was suffering from severe energy shortage. The power outages caused political tension, economic losses and social unrest not only in the city but in the entire country. The Government of Yemen, with the aim of easing the pressure as immediately as possible, sought for the assistance of Altaaqa Global CAT Rental Power to build a 54 MW power plant in just 23 days.
What represented the most difficult challenge, however, was the security situation in Yemen during the time when the project was being completed. At the height of the terrorism alert in the country, all of the embassies and foreign entities 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.
Due to various technical problems, including lack of power plants, unstable grid and insufficient power distribution facilities, the entire province of Aden was suffering from power outages lasting for 14 hours at a time. This dismal situation was creating chaos across different industries, including oil & gas, financial (banks and financial institutions), hospitality (hotels and restaurants), construction and industrial manufacturing.
What represented the most difficult challenge, however, was the security situation in Yemen during the time when the project was being completed. At the height of the terrorism alert in the country, all of the embassies and foreign entities 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
By signing an agreement with ATG, the Government aimed to put an end to the social, economic and financial devastation caused by incessant power outages. While the Government had permanent power generation projects in the pipeline, those could take years to complete, and at the rate that the power outages were affecting the society, the Government could not afford to wait.
In order to
successfully carry out this objective, ATG sought to deliver temporary power
plants that could operate despite the infrastructural insufficiency in Yemen,
like the absence of substations and of power transmission facilities.
All the
project stakeholders understood that providing a sustainable source of power
was necessary in achieving political, social and economic stability in the
province and in the country. More importantly, achieving this in record-time
could serve as a testament to the people of Yemen that the Government was
serious in working towards a lasting national unity.
The 54 MW power project in Aden called for a clear break from previously established methods or processes. With the condition of the power infrastructure in Aden, the project necessitated new technologies that would not require what was absent from Aden. To this effect, Altaaqa Global installed the most advanced power plants that could directly be hooked to the grid without the need for a substation. The power plants were also equipped with the most advanced protection system and operational mode that allowed them to switch from island to grid to base load to standby power in just a push of a button.
The power plants installed in Aden has radically changed the landscape of the power industry. Altaaqa Global’s temporary power solutions were real breakthrough technologies for a diverse range of industries.
Altaaqa Global’s generators were touted to be the most cost-effective equipment in the temporary power industry. The company’s power plants had lesser footprint and a smaller number of accessories, resulting in lower transportation cost, lesser installation time and reduced manpower. All the company’s machines were in modular containers for easy transport and could be “plugged and played” for a swift installation.
The power plants installed in Aden has radically changed the landscape of the power industry. Altaaqa Global’s temporary power solutions were real breakthrough technologies for a diverse range of industries, including utilities, oil & gas, mining and industrial manufacturing, which were facing the dreaded consequences of unstable power and regular blackouts.
The power plants installed in Aden has radically changed the landscape of the power industry. Altaaqa Global’s temporary power solutions were real breakthrough technologies for a diverse range of industries, including utilities, oil & gas, mining and industrial manufacturing, which were facing the dreaded consequences of unstable power and regular blackouts.
Altaaqa Global’s highly skilled engineers are ready to be deployed and prepared to serve at a moment’s notice, even in hostile places, like Aden at the close of the Arab Spring revolution.
Altaaqa Global recognized that no matter how advanced a system was, only a highly competent and experienced team of engineers could make it achieve optimal performance. In line with this, the company made sure that its engineers has all understood and imbibed the critical nature of the 54 MW project at hand. In support of the engineers’ expertise, Altaaqa Global also made sure that after-sales and service parts and equipment were available at any time in its warehouse in Jebel Ali, Dubai or from over 1,700 Caterpillar dealer locations worldwide.
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 when 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
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
The company also sought to foster an amicable relationship with the local communities by donating school and educational supplies to local school children
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
ATG sponsored “iftar” (breaking the fast) dinners in communion with the local communities
On the other
hand, in order to successfully see the project through its completion, ATG closely
coordinated with the military on security and intelligence. The company also sought
to foster an amicable relationship with the local communities by hiring and
training Yemeni engineers and donating school and educational supplies to local
school children. In observance of Ramadan, ATG sponsored “iftar” (breaking the
fast) dinners in communion with the local communities. More importantly, the
company produced a tourism video, aimed at promoting the cultural heritage and
national patrimony of Yemen.
Impact and Benefits
Owing to the
flawless execution of a highly detailed plan of action and the delivery of
cutting-edge technology, the 54 MW power plant project was completed in just 23
days and immediately benefitted more than half a million citizens. Aden was instantly
offered a sustainable and viable source of power, which had instantly helped businesses,
schools, hospitals and other industrial operations. In addition, political and
social tension gradually subsided and the trust of the people in the government
was gradually restored.
In addition,
Yemeni locals were given job opportunities and trained on world class
operational best practices, and the local school children were supported
through school and educational supplies.
The 54 MW
project had had tangible benefits to Aden, therefore the Government added 50 MW
to the existing installation, bringing the total capacity to 104 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
Reasons
The 54 MW interim
power plant project in Aden called for proactivity, tenacity and unwavering
dedication. ATG achieved what other companies thought was impossible. In the
face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, ATG employed its top-of-the-line
technologies and innovative project delivery methods to be able to deliver
quality and sustainable power to Aden. In this pioneering application of a
flexible operational mode and substation-free power plants, ATG had set a
precedence to other rental companies who might face the same predicaments in
their other projects. To say that the project was successfully completed may be
an understatement: The 54 MW interim power plant project in Yemen has gone down
in history as the fastest power plant ever installed in the history 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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