The transformation capacity in the Cardones-Polpaico line substations has been doubled:
ISA Interchile completes energization of the New 500/220 kV Autotransformer Bank project
- The 9 autotransformer units that make up the project were transported from Shanghai, China, to the port of San Antonio and stand out for operating with GIS solutions technology and AIS equipment.
Santiago, December 11, 2020.– Defined by decree for its entry into operation scheduled for February 5, 2021, the New 500/220 kV Autotransformer Bank project, 750 MVA driven by the energy company ISA Interchile, successfully completed its energization yesterday.
The project is located in the Nueva Cardones, Nueva Maitencillo, and Nueva Pan de Azúcar substations and consists of the installation, in each substation, of a new 500/220 kV autotransformer bank, of 1×750 MVA. The completed and already energized works will ensure the coverage of the electrical supply between the Atacama and Metropolitan regions, with high levels of quality and reliability, as well as expanding the transformation capacity of the National Electric System.
The company that operates the Cardones-Polpaico 2×500 kV Transmission Line and the Encuentro-Lagunas 2×200 kV Transmission Line in Chile, transported the 9 autotransformer units from the Chinese port of Shanghai to the port of San Antonio. Once they arrived in Chile, they were transported to each Electrical Substation in 3 convoys that took an average of one month each, due to the dimensions of the equipment and the road restrictions.
“Around 1,100 people, including ISA Interchile employees and allied companies, participated in the execution of the Project, working in its different stages and in three simultaneous work fronts in the Nueva Maitencillo, Nueva Cardones, and Nueva Pan de Azúcar Electrical Substations,” explained Emilio Pizarro, Head of Projects at ISA Interchile.
He also added that “with this project, our transformation capacity in each of these substations is doubled, now having two transformation banks for each of them with a total transformation capacity per substation of 1500MVA, which allows for greater operational capacity for the system to the benefit of all system actors.”
Specifically, from November 16 to 19, the autotransformers were put into service at the Nueva Maitencillo Substation (Vallenar, Atacama Region); from November 30 to December 2, at the Nueva Cardones Substation (Copiapó, Atacama Region); and from December 7 to 10, the process was completed at the Nueva Pan de Azúcar Substation (Coquimbo, Coquimbo Region).
The GIS solutions technology and AIS equipment that allow the operation of the autotransformer banks are provided by SIEMENS in charge of the Engineering, Supplies, and Construction (EPC) of the project.
The reference investment value of this project is USD 72,519,000, while the reference annual operation, maintenance, and administration cost (COMA) is USD 1,665,000.
