Key Milestone Met in Iraq Bridge and Power Restoration

The north span of the Khazir Bridge has been reopened, completing the reconstruction of this key transportation link in northern Iraq. In addition, the Qudas Power Station fuel conversion project has been completed, enabling the plant to operate more reliably and significantly increase its cumulative production, while helping alleviate Iraq's critical fuel shortage.   
The Khazir Bridge is a pair of two-lane spans on Highway 2 between Mosul and Arbil, and is vital to the movement of fuel and agricultural products. It is a divided highway with twin concrete structures over the Greater Zab River, carrying two lanes of traffic in each direction.  

Bechtel's work involved demolishing the damaged spans and building new spans, and rebuilding the northern abutment. The southern span opened to traffic on January 16 and, with the opening of the northern span, the bridge now carries full traffic flow.  

Bechtel subcontracted the Khazir Bridge work to an Iraqi firm. Bechtel also employed several Iraqi field engineers to work alongside other Bechtel superintendents to complete the seven-month project.  
In the power sector, units 1 and 2 of the Qudas Power Station in central Iraq were converted to run on more abundant crude oil rather than the unstable supply of diesel fuel. As originally designed, the units could consume up to 15 percent of Iraq's diesel fuel, when it was available.  
Work included assessing the existing crude oil treatment system design, determining modifications, performing repairs, commissioning the system, and testing performance. The Iraqi plant operating staff performed a large portion of this work.

Bechtel also trained Iraqi workers to use the plant's new spectrometer, which measures crude oil quality. The crude treatment and quality monitoring systems are crucial to plant operation, as low-quality fuel will lead to rapid deterioration of the combustors and render the gas turbines inoperable.  

In support of the Coalition Provisional Authority's reconstruction effort in Iraq, Bechtel is under contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development for the repair, rehabilitation, or reconstruction of vital elements of Iraq's infrastructure. This effort runs through December 2005 and includes the repair and renovation of selected port facilities, power stations, telecommunications, water systems, rail, bridges, buildings, and airports.  

Bechtel is one of the world's premier engineering-construction organizations. It provides technical, management, and directly related services to develop, finance, build, and operate installations for customers in a wide range of industries. To date, Bechtel has worked on more than 22,000 projects in 140 countries.