EPM announces that the Hidroituango 1 and 2 power generation units are ready
Hidroituango has already reached 89.7% of overall construction progress.
- Fecha de publicación
- 2022-10-27 00:00
- Contenido
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- Generation 3 and 4 units are also progressing in construction
EPM successfully completed the assembly of the first two Hidroituango power generation units and is moving forward in its goal to start operating its new power plant before November 30.
"EPM's priority has been and continues to be caring for the lives of people living downstream, and decreasing the risks in the Project, that is why we will advance in the tests and monitoring of all the necessary variables with the utmost care, applying the precautionary principle so that the operation of Hidroituango is carried out in a safe way for these communities. At the slightest sign of risk, EPM will do what is needed, even if it means postponing the start-up schedule," warned Jorge Andrés Carrillo Cardoso, EPM ́s CEO.
Test
In addition to the electromechanical assembly of the equipment, the metal shielding of the vertical wells has been completely installed, which will allow the Cauca River water to be taken from the reservoir to power generation units 1 and 2 in the powerhouse, thus allowing the mechanical turning tests on the turbines to begin.
The dry tests, which have been underway for a couple of months, consist of testing the different electrical and mechanical systems, without the presence of water, to analyze how all the controls, the opening and closing of valves and other equipment behave safely for the operation.
In the next few days, dynamic tests will begin to verify the behavior of the units with the water coming from the reservoir, which will make it possible to check the operation of the different electromechanical equipment. "Each rotor in units 1 and 2 weighs 700 tons and during operation must rotate at 180 revolutions per minute, 3 revolutions per second. Therefore, in the tests we must start slowly, after filling the vertical pipe that brings water from the reservoir, open the accelerators of the generating machines so that they start to rotate and, as they are activated, measurements will be taken in the machines, in the massif, in all the equipment and, little by little, the speed will be increased until they are brought to the nominal speed. After this, power will be supplied to the machines, they will be synchronized to the system, more tests will be carried out and when everything is perfect, safe for operation, they will be delivered to the national interconnected system so that it can have its energy", said William Giraldo Jiménez, Vice-President of EPM's Energy Generation Projects.
3 and 4 Generation Units
EPM has also made satisfactory progress on other work fronts. Last week the concretes of generation unit 3 were completed, and regarding unit 4, progress is being made in the installation of said concretes, which will ensure the start of the assembly of the electromechanical equipment.
Another work front is focused on the shielding of the vertical tunnels containing 70 ferrules in units 3 and 4, whose commitment to start operations with the Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission (CREG) is before November 30, 2023.
A colossus
Hidroituango will be one of the 10 biggest energy generation plants in South America and the biggest in Colombia. The plant will have eight turbines, each with 300 MW (megwatt)- generation capacity, which is equivalent to each of them lighting up cities the size of Armenia or Pereira.
Its energy production will represent a reduction in 4.4 million tons of CO2 emissions per year, a significant contribution to complying with Colombia’s commitments to the Paris Agreement, COP21.
Hidroituango is more than a great infrastructure project. During its construction, investments of COP 2.5 billion have been made in the social and environmental management plan.