Project Location:

Bagram Airfield (BAF), Afghanistan

Client:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – Philadelphia District

Client Needs and Requirements:

The four existing MV power cirectuits on the west side of the Bagram Airfield were reaching maximum capacity, and the military needed an upgrade of the power instrasture to meet increasing demands. A new 600A 13.8kV feeder (Feeder 24) was scoped by USACE for installation. In addition, energy-efficient security lighting was needed throughout the base. The military require a contractor to design and build a solution to meet these requirements.

Challenges and ISI’s Response:

  • As a design/build project, each phase of the project was dependent upon the previous stage’s approval process, which threatened to cause delays.
  • ISI provided fully detailed designs based on general requirements at each stage, designed to mitigate scheduling problems and costs.
  • Some of the areas in the project are undeveloped and often time were not de-mined.  Due to US Army strategic developments, these areas were no longer planned as expansion areas.
  • ISI helped the government in reallocating 100% of the power distribution and lighting previously set aside for these areas, at our own cost.Some aspects of the project  were contingent upon the performance of other contractors.ISI created a design which largely eliminated the dependency on other contractors’ scope completion.The government required flexible load shedding while allowing for future expansion.
  • ISI designed and implemented an innovative means of switching to allow feeder loading to be spread amongst three feeders.
  • This new feeder (Feeder 24) implementation as originally scoped could have caused major congestion and disruption to BAF flight operations, as well as increase design costs.
  • ISI designed the new Feeder 24 route along an alternate route, greatly minimizing cost, contruction time, flightline interruptions.

The Results:

ISI balanced power from two existing feeders onto the new Feeder 24, reducing the overall load across three feeders and leaving capacity for future expansions.  ISI also connected multiple new facilities onto the prime power distribution system during this process.

The Details:

ISI completed the following activities to meet the client’s needs:

  • Designed and installed additional power distribution throughout the West side of BAF and diminish the current load on Feeders 14, 15, 20, and 21 by adding Feeder 24, a 600A 13.8KV circuit.  Rebalancing load from two exisitng feeders onto Feeder 24.
  • Installed four miles of overhead distribution and over one mile of underground distribution
  • Connected multiple facilites to Prime Power
  • Designed and installed new power distribution throughout the SOF compound
  • Installed energy-efficient LED security lighting throughout BAF: 7,000 meters (23,000 ft)