Interconnection set to start up Dec.13

Ecuador's state transmission company Transelectric and Peruvian transmission company REP plan to start operations of a cross-border power link on December 13, REP's CEO Carlos Ariel Naranjo told BNamericas. REP completed its part of the 230kV line in September, but Transelectric is still finishing the Ecuadorian section, he said. "We are waiting for Transelectric to finish its work," he said. The US$7mn Peruvian stretch of the line runs 51km from Zarumilla to Zorritos, and took 11 months to build. Investment included expanding the capacity of the Zorritos substation. A consortium of Colombia's Eléctrica de Medellín (EM) and Peru's Proansa built the line and Germany's Siemens did the substation work. Transelectric is building the US$10mn, 55km stretch from the border to Machala. The first stage of the line would transport 90MW, but capacity is eventually seen at 250MW, with total investment of US$139mn. The line marks the beginning of a new stage in Andean energy integration, Peru's energy minister Glodomiro Sánchez Mejía said at the second meeting of the Andean Community (CAN) energy ministers in Lima recently. Red de Energía de Perú, or REP, is owned by Colombia's ISA Group (30%), ISA subsidiary Transelca (30%) and Bogotá's municipal power company EEB (40%).