By Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

A new generator, housed in this building, will be able to supply approximately 300 homes and 2,000 residents of central Baghdad's Karkh District with up to 14 hours of power each day. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.

Electricity is very important for their lives,” the mother of eight told Lt. Col. Kenneth Crawford, commander of the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd “Black Jack” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. “We used to get one hour a day … for their school … for their studies … we are happy about it.”

The project, estimated to cost $355,000, started in July and included not only bringing up the generator, but also constructing a building to house the generator and electrical wiring to nearly 300 homes. The project also called for a new electrical network – a new grid system in place of the old national power grid they once had.

According to the lead project manager, Capt. Marc Motyleski, of the 2nd BSTB’s Infrastructure Coordination Element, the generator will be able to feed the 300 homes it is connected to with more than 10 amps per household.

“It should be enough to power a refrigerator, fan, TV, and lights … basic necessities for an Iraqi household for 14 hours a day,” the Woodbridge, Va. native said.

There have been several generator projects throughout their area of operations, but this one is “huge” in comparison, Motyleski added.

“On average, most of the generators we’ve put in have been around 250 kilowatts. (This one), at 1.75-megawatts is almost seven times greater than the average generator,” he said. “Just think, getting electricity done means a lot for them; electricity is an essential service. You need electricity to run water. It’s the base of essential services.”

As Karkh Neighborhood Advisory Council and District Advisory Council members were present with members of the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment to officially turn on the generator, one member said it should give service to approximately 2,000 people throughout the 300 homes.

Motyleski said there are a few more generator projects in the works and that soon, there will be a time when most Karkh residents have the same power for more than half the day, but that it could not be a reality if not for the security forces ensuring that the generators keep running.

“That is the big difference here,” he said. “Our security is better than other districts because there are a lot of Iraqi Security Forces out there.”

The generator’s upkeep and maintenance will be handled by a contractor who will charge a nominal fee to the users while the Karkh NAC will have someone who will come by to check on it weekly.

“I feel like we’re doing something worthwhile,” he said. “It makes me feel like I have a significant impact on people’s lives.”