FOBs tap into Iraqi power with help of Airmen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tim Beckham
  • U.S. Air Forces Central, Baghdad Media Outreach Team
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFNS) --  An initiative that will save the U.S. government thousands of dollars took place Feb. 20 in the International Zone here, as Airmen with the Joint Expeditionary Team helped to convert power from generators to commercial sources.

By tapping into the Iraqi power grid, many areas within Forward Operating Base Union III now will have reliable grid power and the generators will be used as backup power sources.

"The generators currently supply power to 12 different transformers throughout the FOB area," said Staff Sgt. Todd Livingston, an electrician with Joint Area Support Group - Central. "(The FOBs) will have continued operations and won't have to rely on generator power anymore. They can go strictly over to commercial power with the Iraqis."

The government not only will save money on resources used to maintain the generators but also on the time it takes contractors to perform maintenance.

"Maintenance will be decreased a lot," said Sergeant Livingston, who is deployed from the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.  "With the new equipment installed, we won't have to rely on generator power as much so there will be a decrease in demand for items that the generator uses such as, fuel, oil, coolant and filters, not to mention the man hours itself it takes to maintain these generators."

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