Coca Codo Sinclair returns to 100% of its capacity after maintenance stage

The Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant is operating at 100% capacity, after completing the major maintenance work carried out in the ball valves of Phase No. 2, which corresponds to units 5, 6, 7 and 8. This was confirmed by the General Manager of the Electricity Corporation of Ecuador, Celec EP, engineer Gonzalo Uquillas Vallejo; the manager of the Coca Codo Sinclair Business Unit, Marcelo Reinoso, and the technicians who operate the main hydroelectric plant in the country.

The works, which began last May, were carried out in different stages. In the first instance, it began with the emptying of pressure pipe 2, maintenance by CELEC EP and Sinohydro personnel on the ball valve seals and bearings, tests on the valves, filling of pressure pipe 2 and synchronization of the the four generation units. Each procedure concluded without registering any news, on November 11.

During the tour of the Power House, the spherical valves of units 5, 6, 7 and 8 were put into operation. The work carried out in these units was in charge of the personnel of Celec EP, while the work in unit 7 was carried out by Sinohydro.

After completing inspections and tests to resume generation, the Plant continues with the delivery of energy to the National Interconnected System with its two phases, to comply with the energy dispatch requested by the National Electricity Operator, Cenace.

At noon on Monday, the eight generation units contributed an average of 1,200 MWh. “The dispatch of energy is a function of the requirements of the National Electricity Operator, which manages the National Interconnected System,” recalled the General Manager of CELEC EP, Gonzalo Uquillas Vallejo.

During the major maintenance work on the ball valves, the Coca Codo Sinclair plant operated permanently with its Phase I, generating a maximum daily power of 740 megawatts, on average.

Repair of cracks in distributors

With the stoppage of phase No. 2, it was also used to repair the cracks of 3 distributors simultaneously of the units, 5, 6 and 7, following the procedure approved by the German company TÜV SÜD. Due to this fact, Celec EP, with the co-sponsorship of the The Attorney General’s Office has already issued its disagreement with the resolution issued by the Combined Board of Disputes (JCD), for which it has submitted a request for arbitration against Sinohydro Corporation before the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce. The purpose of the lawsuit is to reverse the decision of the JCD and determine a definitive solution in the presence of cracks in the distributors.

Operation improvement in Esmeraldas

The General Manager of Celec EP also highlighted other actions to guarantee a safe, reliable and continuous electricity generation service for the economic reactivation of Ecuadorians, according to the instruction of the President of the Republic, Guillermo Lasso.

All the generating units of the thermal power plant were put into operation Esmeralda II, 96 megawatts; and the Esmeraldas I plant, with 125 megawatts, that for more than three years were operating at half capacity.

Gonzalo Uquillas also reported that on December 1 the Alluriquín substation of the National Interconnected System (SNI) will be energized. This substation will allow the delivery of energy from the 49 MW Sarapullo plant to the SNI. As of December 15, Unit 1 of the Sarapullo Power Plant will also come into operation, and the remaining two will come into operation every 15 days. Thus, on January 15, the first of the two plants that make up the Toachi Pilatón hydroelectric complex, with a capacity of 254.4MW, will come into operation.