| Spotlight – MINT & BRIC Brazil
Itaipu Binacional is located on the Paraná River between Brazil and Paraguay and was commissioned in 1984. With a capacity of 14GW it is the second largest hydropower plant in the world. A consortium led by GE Hydro Solutions has recently signed a contract for the largest ever technological upgrade of the plant. The project is expected to take 14 years and is primarily aimed at updating Itaipu’s technology. It will include the equipment and systems of all 20 power generating units as well as improvement of the hydropower plant’s measurement, protection, control, regulation and monitoring systems. Implementation of the project will be supported by Paraguayan partner companies CIE and Tecnoedil (responsible for the assembly and supply of general materials). In addition, GE’s general scope of supply will include the energy management systems, automation, control and supervision systems for the generating units, GIS substation and the existing 500 kV transmission lines, in addition to two new compact GIS substations to increase the reliability of the plant’s electrical auxiliary services. Itaipu’s Executive Technical Director, David Krug, points out that the upgrade of the plant is the result of extensive planning that began in the early 2000s and went through several phases. According to Krug, the investment is necessary because many assets are still analog or technologically outdated and have been in operation for almost 40 years. In some cases, the manufacturer no longer exists, making it impossible to replace parts.
“If we upgrade the plant technologically, the
problem of spare parts is eliminated,” he said, adding, “the big advantage is this - we are upgrading the plant to a new state of the art facility and, in doing so, improving the efficiency of the operation and maintenance processes.” In total, Itaipu Binacional covers an average 8.4% of Brazilian and 85.6% of Paraguayan electricity consumption. It is the single plant that has produced the most energy in history: more than 2.8 billion GWh since 1984.
India Tata Power, one of India’s largest integrated power
companies, is celebrating 100 years of energy
generation at its’s Bhivpuri hydro power plant situated in the Raigad district of Maharashtra near Mumbai. Commissioned in 1922 with an installed capacity of 48MW, it was subsequently upgraded to 75MW. “It’s a proud moment for all of us at Tata Power to mark the centenary celebration of Bhivpuri Hydro Power Station,” said Dr Praveer Sinha, CEO and MD of Tata Power. “We are committed to providing clean energy through this plant and on this occasion reaffirm our commitment to achieve clean and green energy capacity of 80% by 2030; thus contributing towards India’s clean energy targets.” The Bhivpuri plant, along with the Khopoli and Bhira, is among the first hydroelectric plants in the region that harnesses the major water resources of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra. Today, these three plants make up Mumbai’s ‘islanding system’, the backup power source that kicks-in if the metropolis’ power supply gets impacted. The clean and cheap power generated at Bhivpuri
Hydro Power Plant has helped curb pollution in Mumbai, one of the world’s busiest and densely populated cities. Tata Power has also been involved in a variety of economic and community development projects around the Bhivpuri hydro plant. This includes initiatives to create employment and run various healthcare programmes for remote villages. ●
Left: A consortium led by GE Hydro Solutions will be responsible for the largest technological upgrade of the Itaipu Binacional hydropower plant since its inauguration nearly 40 years ago (Photo copyright Rubens Fraulini, Itaipu Binacional)
Above: Itaipu Binacional dam is nearly 200m high and 8km long (Photo copyright Rubens Fraulini, Itaipu Binacional)
References
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/ fy22osti/82580.pdf
www.tatapower.com
www.waterpowermagazine.com | July 2022 | 9
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37
