GE Harris Energy Control Systems of Canada has been awarded a contract by ABB Network Management to supply 62 GE Harris D20 remote terminal units (RTUs) for the supervision and control system of the 12,600MW Itaipu hydroelectric development project in South America.
GE Harris is supplying equipment to the main energy control system contractor on the project, ABB Network Management. The equipment will be installed in various locations within the plant, including the 18 generating units, SF6 substation, power house, main dam, spillway and the centralised control centre. The systems will have a number of integrated functions to support automation.
Itaipu, a bilateral project of the Paraguay and Brazilian governments, includes a dam and hydroelectric complex on the Parana river. It is currently the largest operating hydroelectric plant in the world. The dam was started in 1974 and completed in 1991, and it impounds Itaipu Lake, containing 29M m3 of water, measuring 170km across and with 1400km of shoreline. The area receives up to 1650mm of rain a year.
The substations on site are a combination of 50Hz and 60Hz and feed two utilities; ANDE (Paraguay) and FURNAS (Brazil).