GE Awarded Contract for World's Largest Hydro Project

GE Harris Energy Control Systems Canada received a contract from ABB Network Management to supply 62 GE Harris D20 remote terminal units (RTUs) for the supervision and control system of the Itaipu Hydroelectric Development project. A bilateral project of the Paraguay and Brazilian governments, the dam and hydroelectric complex is on the Paraná River and is the largest operating hydroelectric plant in the world with an installed capacity of 12,600 MW. Financial terms of the contract weren't released.

GE Harris plans to supply equipment to the main energy control system contractor on the project, ABB Network Management. The equipment will be installed in various locations within the plant, including the 18 generating units, SF6 substation, power house, main dam, spillway and the centralized control center. The GE Harris D20 systems will have a number of integrated functions to support automation and closed-loop control as well as interfacing to electronic meters.

The Itaipu project was started in 1974 and was completed in 1991. The reservoir which feeds the plant, Itaipu Lake, contains 29 million cubic meters (1.02 billion cubic feet) of water and is one of the biggest artificial lakes in the world, measuring 170 km (106 miles) across and with 1,400 km (870 miles) of shoreline. The area receives up to 1,650 mm (65 inches) of rain a year. The substations onsite are a combination of 50 Hz and 60 Hz and feed two utilities; ANDE (Paraguay) and FURNAS (Brazil).

GE Harris Energy Control Systems owned by GE Power Systems and Harris Corporation, provides real-time, information technology solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of the electric utility industry for automation, control, and monitoring of critical operations. GE Harris Energy Control Systems conducts its business through GE Harris Energy Control Systems and its wholly owned subsidiaries GE Harris Energy Control Systems Canada and GE Harris Energy Control Systems UK (along with its wholly owned subsidiary GE Harris Energy Control Systems South Africa).

ABB Network Management Division of ABB Automation, located in Sugar Land, TX, supplies EMS, DMS, and GMS. ABB Network Management specializes in the development and delivery of system solutions for real-time monitoring, controlling, and operating of power system networks and generators.

Edited by April C. Murelio
editor@poweronline.com