Project Location:
FOB Gardez Lightning, Afghanistan
Client:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – Philadelphia District
Client Needs and Requirements:
The existing electrical infrastructure at FOB Gardez Lightning consisted of small spot generators on each structure in the camp, and they were no longer meeting the growing power needs of the camp. In addition, the power infrastructure was not per NEC standards which was creating potential Life, Health, and Safety (LHS) hazards for our Special Forces personnel. The requirement was to assess the power demands, design a capable microgrid system that would provide high availablity and mission critical power support.
Challenges and ISI’s Response:
The project required installing a new power generation and power distribution system throughout the entire base. This meant excavating and installing power cabling to each building and strucutre in the camp. Since this was a Special Forces operation, many of the personnel worked at night and slept during the day, so we were tasked with minimizing disruption to personnel who were sleeping during our normal working hours.
ISI took extensive measures, at our own cost, to change working methodologies to reduce noise. This included extensive amounts of hand excavation instead of using large machinery in an effort to reduce the noise we generated during this project.
The Results:
The project was extremely successful and completed 45 days ahead of schedule.
The Details:
ISI installed the following to meet the client’s requirements:
- Evaluation of the base power demands
- Design of a highly reliable and available power generation system
- A 100% redundant 250kW microgrid system was designed and installed
- Removal of all of the existing sub-standard power equipment and wiring from the facilities
- Reconnect all facilities to the new microgrid using NEC approved methods
- Rewired the Tactical Control Facility and Office building to meet NEC standards