La Higuera HPP launched in Chile

The red-carpet ceremony to celebrate the launch of the hydraulic power system on the Tinguiririca River, which comprises La Confluencia HPP and La Higuera HPP, included the participation of the President of the Republic of Chile Sebastián Piñera and Chile’s Energy Minister Ricardo Raineri.
The contract for the procurement of equipment for La Higuera HPP was signed by the customer, Constructora Queiroz Galvão S.A., and the LHESC International Consortium to which Power Machines company is a participant. Under the contract, Russia’s power engineering company designed and model-tested hydraulic turbines, and also manufactured and shipped to La Higuera HPP two 77.5 MW hydraulic generators completed with exitation systems. The two-year warranty period provided for Power Machines’ equipment is commencing on the date of connecting the power plant to the network.
La Higuera HPP is located in Chile’s third seismic area, i.e. the most earthquake-prone one, which fact was taken into consideration by Power Machines’ engineers who designed the equipment. By the time when a series of earthquakes occurred in Chile in February of the current year, most machinery had already been installed under the supervision of Power Machines’ specialists. Subsequent inspections carried out upon the recommencement of installation activities, which involved check-up of installed equipment and clearance measurement, showed that no damage had been inflicted to the equipment – the mounting locations were unaffected and all design parameters remained within assigned limits.
Apart from La Higuera HPP project, Power Machines also participated in Chile’s Quilleco HPP project for which the power engineering company based in St. Petersburg supplied equipment on a turn-key basis. Quilleco HPP has been successfully operating since June 2007. All machinery for this power plant was designed and manufactured to meet stringent seismic safety requirements and remained intact during the earthquake.