b'70 IAH FUELINGThe airport leased an additional nine acres to the consortium forThe implementation of these renovations these new tanks, including extra room for two additional tanks ifis essential to having a productive operation, needed in the future. declares IAH Fuel Company Chair Janet Facility improvements included renovating 2,400 square feet ofPeters. I think we are in good shape to space in the fueling administration building and 6,000 square feetensure reliable fuel supply at IAH for at least in two separate maintenance buildings. Crews replaced the HVACthe next 10 years. The new pump system unit and plumbing, as well as old industrial flooring. Fresh finisheswill increase our efficiency in getting fuel to were applied to walls and ceiling surfaces. In addition, IT systemsthe gates, while the two new 56,000-barrelJANET PETERSwere modernized and a much-needed conference room withtanks provide much needed inventory so that AV equipment was created. Workers also built a new dedicatedsupply meets future demand. Retrofitting the fuel administration employee training room next to the main fuel station office. office with the latest technology also will make the whole operation run more smoothly.Financing The final cost estimate for Phase One and Two improvements came to $65 million. The responsibility for approving and financing the renovations fell to the fuel consortium. We engaged several major lenders that often support airport projects, Peters explains. We believe we obtained a very good rate that extends for the life of our lease, which is 40 years. Each members monthly bill includes its share of the debt service, which is based on its annual fuel consumption. United is by far the largest airline at IAH, with 63% of all flights. Therefore, its monthly charge is the largest of all 31 consortium members. We really have not had any pushback from our members concerning the additional charges to their monthly bill, reports Peters. They were COMFORTon board with making these renovations right from the early stages of planning.UPON ARRIVAL In addition to serving as chair of IAH Fuel, Peters is Uniteds fuel supply director.Unexpected Challenges Construction started in early 2020, and the project team hit its first challenge quicklythe COVID pandemic. That definitely delayed us for a few weeks, but the entire team worked together to avoid significant delays, Lundquist recalls. We were really proud to provide work for many people during a time when work was scarce.Another obstacle occurred the following winter, when a big ice storm hit the Houston area. Power was lost for several days, and virtually everything in the region was closed, including the airport. After that rough start, we worked hard to get back on schedule, and for the last three years everything went pretty much according BOOM AIR HOSE MANAGEMENT to plan, Lundquist comments. At one point PRE CONDITIONED AIR UNITS TWISTAERO.COM or another, we probably had 200 employees GROUND POWER UNITSSeptember 2024AirportImprovement.com'