* Author: Borja Rodríguez García-Prieto *
Projects are made by people. Of course, the necessary tools are also required, but to attain the common goal of completing a piece of work, a huge degree of personal involvement is needed.
Now that the construction of the Koudiet Eddraouch combined cycle power plant is drawing to a close and as we look back over the experience, we should not overlook the fundamental aspects of the project. One could easily be carried away by the sheer scale of the figures involved in the installation of this power plant: three 400 MW single shafts, a marine platform measuring 20,000 m2, four tanks with a capacity of 15,000 m3, a 400 kV electrical substation, the construction of a motorway to access the site, three modular metallic bridges to cross three rivers and enable the transportation of heavy equipment (weighing over 350 tonnes) to the site, four seawater intake pipelines with a diameter of more than two metres and measuring 500 metres long each, etc.
However, none of this would have been possible without the wonderful human capital that worked on the Koudiet Eddraouch combined cycle power plant. From the city centres of Madrid and Bilbao where the engineering is sourced and the purchases are managed, to our offices in Algiers, where we deal directly with the client and official bodies, to the offices in Annaba, the logistic operations centre with the Port of Annaba, and the site where the project is actually taking shape: Koudiet Eddraouch.
I would like to commend everyone that took part in this project for the personal effort they made. More importantly, I would like to emphasise the huge sacrifices made by the members of personnel that were based in Koudiet Eddraouch. For security reasons, they had to spend shifts lasting weeks on end inside the living quarters at the plant. That’s why I’d like to thank all of these employees and their families, in particular, for their dedication and for their patience.
On the other hand, the project was not without its difficulties, starting with the security required (bodyguards when travelling, security perimeters, evacuation plans, etc.), where Iberdrola’s Corporate Security Division made sure we felt protected at all times. Another factor was mastering French, in a world where English is increasingly important. There was also the need to adapt to a different culture and to a country with huge potential where many public administrations are in a state of transition.
My personal experience in the project was very positive. However, I also have to say that I went through some hard times that tested my ability to solve conflicts and problems and the limits of my patience. All in all, it was an experience that made me a better professional – and a better person as well. Working alongside people of various nationalities with different languages and cultures can sometimes be hard and requires a significant effort of adaptation, but it is precisely that difficulty that generates the greatest wealth.
After all the hardships that were inherent to this project, it is no surprise that I have heard several of my colleagues say that “after Koudiet, anything will seem easier”. Therefore, I will focus on the positive aspects: having lived in and experienced a country with huge potential; having learned about a different culture; having acquired a different way of approaching various things…but most importantly of all, having worked with a group of exceptional people. Because, after all, projects are made by people.
