The Baixo Iguaçu Hydroelectric Power Plant installs the last generator set

On Thursday, June 14, the third generator unit rotor was lowered at the Baixo Iguaçu Hydroelectric Power Plant (UHE). This is the last piece of major equipment to be installed at the plant, where work started in 2013 and is now entering the completion stage.

The event was attended by the governor of Paraná, Cida Borghetti, the president of Copel, Jonel Yurk, and hundreds of project members who closely followed the descent of the set which weighs 478 tons and is 13.4 meters in diameter.

According to the governor, “this is a symbolic moment, which marks the completion of such an important project, which will impact the lives of the Brazilian population, as it will contribute towards the supply of clean energy.” One of the energy ventures with less environmental impact in the country, the Baixo Iguaçu UHE will be operated as a run-of-the-river system and will not accumulate a large volume of water in the reservoir to regularize the river flow.

“The commissioning tests for the third generator unit will start in the coming months and will take place in parallel with the other two units in order to guarantee that generation will start at the end of the year,” confirms Luis Fernando Rahuan, Baixo Iguaçu UHE contract manager.

Located between the municipalities of Capanema and Capitão Leônidas Marques, the plant has three Kaplan turbines – equipment with rotors similar to ship propellers which are ideal for application in lower water pressure –, and together will generate 350 MW of energy, which is enough to supply one million people.