Consortium lands Ecuador-Peru interconnection environmental work

Ecuadoran energy authorities have awarded a contract to conduct an environmental impact study for a stretch of a planned 500kV power link with Peru, under the umbrella of Andean interconnection initiative Sinea.

BNamericas has learned that state transmission company Transelectric selected a consortium composed of Cesel Ingenieros and CTOTAL Consultoría for the 180-day contract.

The other bidder was Consorcio Inerco Consultoría Colombia-Ecoeficiencia Compañía de Consultoría Ambiental.

According to preliminary information, the Ecuador side of the project would connect the Chorrillos and Pasaje substations (271km) and run from Pasaje to the border with Peru (71km). The Peruvian component would stretch 329km.

A limited-capacity link – the 220kV Zorritos-Machala line – already exists between the countries.

Also from Ecuador, state power generation holding company Celec reported that the rotor of the generator of the first unit at the 180MW Delsitanisagua hydroelectric project in Zamora Chinchipe province was lowered into place.

And energy efficiency and renewable energies institute INER and state power generator Termopichincha plan to carry out final testing of the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) pilot project at the Quevedo II thermoelectric plant on March 29.

ORC uses residual heat to increase the temperature of an organic fluid which has a boiling point lower than water and whose steam is used in turn to generate additional electricity.