ABB is supplying the plant automation system for the 480 MW Sopladora hydropower plant in Ecuador.
The customer is China Machinery Engineering Corporation CMEC), the Beijing-based electrical and mechanical equipment contractor.
Sopladora is currently under construction in Azuay province in Ecuador’s south-central highlands, about 100 kilometers from Cuenca, the country’s third largest city. When completed in late 2015 the plant will provide a muchneeded boost in electricity supply for regional communities and the national power grid.
ABB will provide an integrated control and protection solution for Sopladora’s three 160 MW units. The solution is based on Symphony® Plus, ABB’s flagship automation system for the power generation and water industries. It includes plant and unit control, electrical protection, generator frequency and voltage control (AVR), energy metering and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA).
Minimizes risk
The ABB solution delivers benefits for both CMEC the contractor and CELEC the end user. CMEC gains from ABB’s long experience of working with engineering, procurement and construction contractors on power generation projects worldwide. This expertise minimizes CMEC’s exposure to risk during project execution. For the plant owners,
ABB provides a plant automation system that meets CELEC’s stringent requirements for operational reliability and cost-effective evolution over the lifetime of the plant. ABB is also supplying a comprehensive electrical and control solution for the 1,500 MW Coco Codo Sinclair hydropower
plant in the Amazon Basin. The plant is the biggest energy project in Ecuador’s history. When completed it will generate enough power to meet 45 percent of the country’s electricity needs. ABB was awarded the contract by the Chinese hydropower contractor, Sinohydro.