Energy Central-News Article

Brazil, May 5 -- GE Renewable Energy's Hydro and Grid Solutions businesses have jointly signed a contract to technologically upgrade the Itaipu hydropower plant in Brazil and Paraguay, the second largest in the world*. A consortium led by GE Hydro Solutions will be responsible for the upgrade of the power plant, which has an installed capacity of 14 GW and is located on the Parana¡ River between Brazil and Paraguay.The project, considered the largest technological upgrade of the hydropower plant since its inauguration nearly 40 years ago, is expected to take 14 years and is primarily aimed at updating Itaipu's technology. The upgrade includes equipment and systems of all 20 power generating units as well as the improvement of the hydropower plant's measurement, protection, control, regulation and monitoring systems. In total, Itaipu Binacional covers an average 8.4% of Brazilian and 85.6% of Paraguayan electricity consumption. The implementation of the project is scheduled to last 14 years and is supported by the Paraguayan partner companies CIE and Tecnoedil (responsible for the assembly and supply of general materials, respectively). In addition to the modernization of the 20 power generating units, GE's general scope of supply includes the supply of medium voltage cubicles, energy management systems, automation technology as well as the delivery of protection, 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 Binacional is the single plant that has produced the most energy in history: more than 2.8 billion Gigawatts-hour since 1984. Furthermore, with 14 GW, the plant is the second largest hydropower plant in the world in terms of installed capacity. Each of the 20 generating units has the capacity to power a city of 1.8 million inhabitants. The dam reaches a height of nearly 200 meters and is eight kilometers long.GE's involvement in a project of this magnitude underscores the company's commitment to providing technologies and expertise that contribute to the resilience, efficiency and reliability of the power grid. Together with its customers, GE is contributing to the energy transition, not only with solutions for generation, but also for transmission and distribution of energy around the world. Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Pivotal Sources. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at contentservices@htlive.com