President Hamid Karzai Activates Power At Plant
Dedication Ceremony
Kabul, Afghanistan (August 5, 2009) – Afghan and U.S. officials today
energized an initial 35 megawatts (MW) of electricity at the Tarakhil Power
Plant in Kabul as part of a United States Government (USG) program providing
infrastructure redevelopment for the people of Afghanistan.
These 35 MW represent the first one-third of the plant’s total capacity of
105 MW, which will be available later this year. This initial 35 MW from the
plant will provide electricity to approximately 200,000 people in Kabul, with
the 105 MW plant’s total capacity able to deliver power to more than 500,000
people.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai activated one of the six available diesel
generators that can deliver power to the Kabul electric grid at an inauguration
ceremony also attended by U.S. Ambassador, Karl Eikenberry, and the Afghan
Minister of Energy and Water, His Excellency Ismail Khan.
The Tarakhil Power Plant is one of several energy projects that Black &
Veatch is leading as part of the Louis Berger Group, Inc. and Black &
Veatch Joint Venture in support of the Afghanistan Infrastructure and
Rehabilitation Program contract with USG.
“We are committed to the safe, timely and cost-effective completion of this
and other projects that will improve the quality of life for the Afghan
people,” said Bill Van Dyke, President of Black & Veatch’s Federal Services
Division. “The plant’s full capacity of 105 megawatts is targeted to provide
power to the electric grid by the end of 2009, bringing more power to homes and
businesses in the winter months when it is most needed.”
The Tarakhil Power Plant effort follows the successful transmission of 40 MW
of imported power from Uzbekistan to Kabul, beginning last January and using
existing facilities that had never been activated. The transmission project was
accomplished through the joint venture working with other contractors and
Afghan agencies in just 35 days from the time USG received a request for energy
support from the Afghan government.
The Tarakhil Power Plant is part of the North East Power System that serves
Kabul residents and other communities in the region. The reliable power
supplies from the plant and existing power from Uzbekistan are designed to
benefit local residential customers, businesses and educational institutions
while fueling economic growth. It is expected that the plant will provide
approximately 150 permanent jobs including those in plant operations,
maintenance and security personnel.
Van Dyke added that 21 Afghan nationals have completed advanced safety
training at the site. In addition, over 1.1 million hours of work have been
completed at the site with no serious safety incidents.
About The Louis Berger Group
The Louis Berger Group, Inc. is a global leader in engineering consulting.
Berger’s missions are to: develop infrastructure to improve peoples’
lives; preserve and enhance the environment; and reduce poverty to spur
sustainable economic development. Berger has the largest transportation
practice among top ranked independent international architect/engineering
services firms. In December 2001 Berger was the first US contractor to fully
engage in Afghanistan. Berger is the world’s leading provider of infrastructure
and capacity building in developing countries. Since its founding, Berger has
focused its core practice on the program delivery of infrastructure and
ministry capacity building. The multicultural staff of Berger operates from
offices across the United States and around the world. Berger’s solutions
reflect local conditions and the use of state-of-the-art technology. The
company’s web site is www.louisberger.com.
About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch is a leading global engineering, consulting and construction
company specializing in infrastructure development in energy, water,
telecommunications, management consulting, federal and environmental markets.
Founded in 1915, Black & Veatch develops tailored infrastructure solutions
that meet clients’ needs and provide sustainable benefits. Solutions are
provided from the broad line of service expertise available within Black &
Veatch, including conceptual and preliminary engineering services, engineering
design, procurement, construction, financial management, asset management,
program management, construction management, environmental, security design and
consulting, management consulting and infrastructure planning. With $3.2
billion in revenue, the employee-owned company has more than 100 offices
worldwide and has completed projects in more than 100 countries on six
continents. The company’s Web site address is www.bv.com.
Afghanistan Infrastructure and Rehabilitation Program Web link:
www.irp-af.com
Media Contact:
George Minter
913-458-8001
minterga@bv.com
24-hour Media Line:
1-866-496-9149
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