GEB connected one of the most important transmission lines in Central America in Guatemala

This Grupo Energía Bogotá release was published using machine translation.

Guatemala, January 12, 2023. Grupo Energía Bogotá (GEB) continues to put assets into operation to improve lives in the countries where it operates. This time the turn was for Guatemala, where, through its subsidiary Conecta, it completed the works that allowed the connection of the Guatesur-Las Cruces transmission line and the expansion of the Guatesur substation, one of the most important in Central America, which It brings electrical energy to the inhabitants of the department of Sacatepéquez.

The Guatesur-Las Cruces line brings great benefits to the communities, since by connecting the demand from the Guatesur substation –one of the main regional energy nodes in Guatemala– with the Las Cruces substation, it not only strengthens the National Interconnected System, but also It makes it possible to satisfy the growing demand for energy in the western part of the country, while boosting the local economy and enabling the creation of small and medium-sized companies.

After the completion of the construction works in which the company's collaborators and contractors faced important technical and geographical challenges; Since the end of 2022, the Guatesur-Las Cruces transmission line, an infrastructure of approximately 23 kilometers, is an asset in operation that improves the safety and reliability of the service in that region and in the country, where GEB operates approximately 630 kilometers of power transmission lines and 24 substations.

Juan Ricardo Ortega, president of the multilatina, explained that another of the benefits of energizing this line is to open the high-voltage connection to the west of the country, interconnecting in the future with the Guateoeste and Sololá substations, and with the south of the country through of the Palestine substation. This is an ambitious bet that will reinforce the sub-transmission system in the Sacatepéquez areas.

“Conecta, as a subsidiary of Grupo Energía Bogotá, executes projects with top-level technology that promote energy development in Guatemala and are committed to a better quality of life for communities. The Guatesur-Las Cruces line is a complex and challenging project that was completed thanks to the perseverance and work of the entire Conecta team. This project expands the transport capacity of the system and improves the perception of the end user”, said Mauricio Acevedo, manager of Conecta.

For the progress of the works, it was necessary to adapt to the complex geography of the area, for which reason innovation was made by building towers adapted to the environment and laying lines with drones, managing to minimize the impact on the environment through taller structures that take care of the coverage. vegetable around the line.

“These are towers like the ones that are built in first world countries and involve special engineering work. Transportation towers can measure from 23 to 45 meters high; however, those of this particular project can be up to 14 meters higher, additionally they have pedestals adapted to the topography of the area, achieving a total height of more than 60 meters. Lastly, the towers were blended in using a special paint so that they blended in with the environment,” explained Acevedo.

Conecta seeks to make more than 1,200 MVA (megavolt-amperes) of installed transformation capacity available for the transmission service received by Guatemalans, which will open opportunities for the acquisition of new users, the expansion of electrification and the development and general use of electricity in that country, so that it continues on the path of development and progress.