Brazil - Iberdrola starts operating its largest power line in the world in Brazil, with 730 kilometers of power line

MADRID, 26 (EUROPA PRESS)

Iberdrola, through its subsidiary Neoenergia, has put into operation in Brazil the Jalapão power line, which with almost 730 kilometers is the largest in the world of the group, according to the energy company.

Specifically, the new transmission line runs through four states of the Carioca country between the North and Northeast: Maranhão, Piauí, Tocantins and Bahia.

This line will expand the transmission network to improve energy exchange between the North and Northeast regions, facilitating the flow of energy generated at the Belo Monte (AP) hydroelectric power plant, an asset in which Neoenergia has a stake and which, with an installed capacity of 11,233.1 megawatts (MW), is the largest power plant in Brazil.

The development of this line was acquired in lot 4 of the auction held by the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) in December 2017 and has been put into operation 15 months ahead of the regulatory agency's contractual forecast.

MORE THAN 2,000 JOBS AT THE PEAK OF THE WORKS.

The Jalapão transmission line used 13,100 kilometers of conductor cables, equivalent to the distance between São Paulo and Moscow. Thanks to its construction, Iberdrola's subsidiary in Brazil has employed more than 2,000 people at the peak of the works.

The project has also brought a number of economic and socio-environmental benefits to the local population. Among other actions, Neoenergia promoted environmental solutions based on the construction of abandoned structures around the transmission line, which had been abandoned in situ for more than five years prior to the acquisition of the project. The initiative enabled the environmental recovery of the section, allowing the area to return to its former natural conditions.

In addition, approximately 4,000 concrete foundations from the old transmission line were recycled and crushed into small pieces, enough to cement approximately 24,000 square meters of roads. This material was used to improve roads in the municipalities involved in the project.