The first two turbines of Hidroituango will begin to generate electricity next October 2022
EPM will start commercial operation of the first power generation unit of Hidroituango next October 15, and the second unit will begin to operate on October 20. In this way, EPM will fulfill the commitments it has acquired with the Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission (CREG, for the Spanish original) and with the country of starting up commercial operations of the first two units before November 30, 2022.
- Fecha de publicación
- 2022-07-26 00:00
- Titulo
- The first two turbines of Hidroituango will begin to generate electricity next October 2022
- Contenido
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EPM will start commercial operation of the first power generation unit of Hidroituango next October 15, and the second unit will begin to operate on October 20. In this way, EPM will fulfill the commitments it has acquired with the Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission (CREG, for the Spanish original) and with the country of starting up commercial operations of the first two units before November 30, 2022.
This timetable takes into consideration the critical path of the various civil works and highly complex technical works carried out at Hidroituango, which are unprecedented in Colombia. The main works include the installation of metal shielding (ferrules) in the tunnels or wells that carry water from the reservoir to the generation units, and underwater works to fine-tune the intake systems.
Dry Runs
The Hidroituango start-up schedule passed a historic milestone last Tuesday, July 26, when dry run testing was begun.
“I would like to thank the over 8,000 people who have been working: the engineers, employees, contractors, all those who since hour zero of the emergency have worked day and night for a project that in 2018 was plunged into one of the most serious infrastructure crises in Colombia, and which today has become a project that begins to offer hope. That is what these tests represent, hope, the achievement of a team that has never stopped working. Medellín will deliver Hidroituango to Colombia, and will deliver it with love, with dedication, and full transparency,” highlighted the Chairman of the Board of EPM and Mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero Calle.
On July 26, EPM engineers also performed tests on the control panel of unit No.1 to check the correct operation of the ancillary systems, and they transferred the upper cantilever of unit No. 2. This is the last milestone to complete the process of assembling the second turbine and continue with the generation tests. Similarly, a flooding test was carried out in the transformers tunnel, running water over the transformer of unit No. 2 to validate all its operating systems and to cover any potential emergency due to fire hazard.
On his part, the CEO of EPM, Jorge Andrés Carrillo Cardoso, assured that the Company will continue to communicate, as it has done to date, the progress and milestones achieved.
“We will carry out testing with water in September and October, in order to meet the final deadline for starting up the commercial operation of units 1 and 2, with 300 MW (megawatts) each, next October 15 and 20,” reiterated the CEO of EPM.
EPM has managed to overcome external difficulties that have affected it during the last two years, such as the consequences of COVID-19, which affected nearly 1,000 workers, equivalent to over 12% of the workforce at Hidroituango. This was compounded by the complexity of the technical works being carried out.
“EPM, consistently with its responsibility as a public-sector entity, has implemented all risk monitoring and control measures and contingency plans to reduce the impact of potential internal or external situations that may affect meeting this timetable,” said the CEO, Jorge Carrillo.
Other validations performed last Tuesday included high-voltage tests on the power cables to confirm their isolation, as well as a water filling test to verify the correct operation of the northern surge tank.
Hidroituango is on the path to becoming the hydroelectric plant that will contribute to the energy security of Colombia in the next decades. In this way, with the clean and renewable energy of Ituango, EPM contributes to the harmony of life for a better world.