GE Renewable Energy's hydropower division has been awarded a contract from SPIC Brasil to implement a comprehensive modernization project at the São Simão hydroelectric plant in Brazil. Located in the municipalities of Santa Vitória and São Simão, the plant has 6 generating units with a total installed capacity of up to 1.71GW, enough to power 6 million homes.

The scope of the contract includes the provision of equipment for steam turbines, generators and auxiliary systems, the engineering project and its integration, as well as the assembly and commissioning of six generator sets. GE's hydropower unit will carry out the work, while China's state-owned engineering firm PowerChina will support the project.

POWERCHINA will also provide electrical and mechanical balance (BOP) systems, digital control systems and fluid mechanics for the power station. The project is expected to take a total of nine years, including a complete cycle of engineering, development, integration, supply, assembly and commissioning.

"With this project, we reaffirm our commitment to support the production of clean, affordable and reliable energy for millions of Brazilians," said Pascal Radue, president and CEO of GE's Renewable Energy Hydropower division. "Our team is committed to to optimize the operations of the plants and increase their availability to customers so that they can fully utilize their assets and available resources to meet the country’s electricity needs. "Keywords: engineering construction, engineering news

Adriana Waltrick, CEO of SPIC Brasil, said: “The modernization has prepared the São Simão hydroelectric power plant for the future, enhancing the efficiency and reliability of our major renewable energy generation assets equipped with state-of-the-art technology in the country.” The plant It is located in an important strategic area of power circulation and is an important source of the national energy production system. "Earlier, GE Grid Solutions contracted BOND Civil & Utility Construction to provide onshore substations for the Empire WindI offshore wind project in New York.Editor/XingWentao