Getting younger all the time
Retrofitting projects increase the useful life of hydroelectric plants by up to 40 years and cost the equivalent of 15% of the price tag for a new facility
written by ◦ Miucha Andrade photos by ◦ Luciana De Francesco

There are currently 587 hydroelectric plants operating in Brazil with a total installed capacity of 70,977 megawatts (MW). Fifteen percent have been operating commercially for over three decades, and 35% are 20 to 30 years old. Odebrecht is helping keep Brazil’s energy system running at a high level of reliability by retrofitting Furnas Centrais Elétricas’s oldest hydroelectric plants: Mascarenhas de Moraes (age: 49), Furnas (age: 42) and the sprightlier Luiz Carlos Barreto or Estreito plant (age: 36).

The retrofitting operation will modernize these plants and add up to 40 years to their useful lives. The required investment is the equivalent of 15% of the cost of a brand-new facility, and brings further savings by reducing operating and maintenance costs. “The concept of retrofitting involves replacing or refurbishing a hydroelectric plant’s equipment and systems with a view to increasing operational availability and updating its technology,” says Clóvis Ribeiro, who heads the Corumbá Generation Construction Department (DGB.T), a Furnas agency associated with the company’s Construction Division.

In 1998, Odebrecht was contracted to build a supplementary spillway for the Mascarenhas de Moraes hydroelectric plant in Ibiraci, Minas Gerais. That project was completed in 2000, the year Odebrecht won its first contract to retrofit hydroelectric plants for the Furnas System, which was to be carried out precisely at the Mascarenhas de Moraes plant. As a result, Odebrecht was able to use the same jobsite facilities set up for the spillway project. The contract to retrofit the hydro was signed in December 2000 and the project is scheduled for completion by April 2006.

“The contract goes beyond refurbishing the existing facilities,” says Contract Director Leonardo Lago. “We are also adapting the plant to current environmental standards.”

Four companies, GE-Hydro Inepar, Inepar Indústria e Construções, Alstom Brasil and Construtora Norberto Odebrecht, have formed a joint venture called Consórcio Empresarial Mascarenhas de Moraes (Cemasc). “The scope of this project involves several areas of engineering. The key to its success is combining the expertise of major engineering and construction companies and Furnas’s technical and operational area,” explains Clóvis. CNO is responsible for electromechanical installation, civil construction and support infrastructure.

“The big difference about retrofitting projects is that you have to replace and assemble new structures without interfering with the plant’s operations,” observes Leonardo Lago. “As a result, the work has to be done very carefully after a great deal of planning.”

The CPFL Energia power company built the Mascarenhas de Moraes hydroelectric plant in the early 1950s and Furnas acquired it in 1973. Four of the plant’s ten 476-MW generator units (GUs) will be completely retrofitted and the remainder will be partially refurbished.

Odebrecht has already fully retrofitted the four GUs, partially refurbished three and expanded and retrofitted the 345 kV substation. “At the end of this operation, the plant will be equipped with cutting-edge command and control systems. This will make it more reliable and permit fully remote-controlled operations,” says Leonardo Lago. “That’s what retrofitting is all about.”

In December 2003, a joint venture of Construtora Norberto Odebrecht, Voith Siemens, Alstom Brasil and Engevix Engenharia signed a BRL 337.6-million contract to retrofit the Furnas hydroelectric plant, the first facility built by what was then called Companhia Furnas. Work on the plant’s GUs began in June 2005 and the project will be completed within four years.

Eight generator units will be retrofitted, two partially and six completely. As the equipment reaches the end of its useful life, there are frequent breakdowns, but once the retrofitting is complete, the need for maintenance shutdowns will be drastically reduced. “This project is starting in the nick of time,” says Emílio Piantino, head of Furnas’s Minas Gerais Production Department (DRM.O).

The brainchild of former Brazilian President Juscelino Kubitschek, the Furnas hydro began operations in February 1963 in São José da Barra, Minas Gerais. It was the first major hydroelectric plant ever built in Brazil, generating 1,216 MW, equivalent to one-third of the nation’s total installed power at the time.

Today, Furnas Centrais Elétricas owns and operates 12 power plants, 10 hydroelectric and two thermoelectric, which generate a total of 9,292 MW. The energy they produce is transported by 18,717 km of transmission lines and 43 substations to guarantee the energy supply of half the nation’s consumers. “The retrofitting of these plants is a historic milestone,” says Emílio Piantino.

The Furnas plant is strategically located in relation to three major Brazilian cities – 300 km from Belo Horizonte, 400 km from São Paulo and 600 km from Rio de Janeiro. The substation is part of an interconnected system of seven transmission lines. Two supply power to Rio de Janeiro via Itutinga, two are connected with São Paulo through Poços de Caldas, and one links the substation to Belo Horizonte.

“Another important aspect of this project has to do with the Furnas plant’s reservoir. It is a key part of the process of generating power at hydroelectric plants located on the Rio Grande and the Paraná River,” says Emílio. “The water stored in the Furnas reservoir impacts the generating capacity of the Itaipu hydro.”

Odebrecht has young partners working on the retrofitting projects for the Furnas and Mascarenhas de Moraes plants. Rafael Guigon, 24, a mechanical engineer from Rio de Janeiro, Alessandro Beraldo, 25, a native of Bahia with a business degree, and Walmir Molina, 24, a civil engineer from São Paulo, live in the same accommodations 32 km from the jobsite. “I like the way our leaders and team members relate. I’m not afraid to slip up because I know my leader will have my back,” says Rafael.

Alessandro is impressed by the mobility that Odebrecht gives its members. “Yesterday I was in Bahia, today I’m in Minas Gerais, and tomorrow I could be in Mato Grosso or Tocantins. Next stop, the world.”

Walmir did a two-year internship on the Mascarenhas de Moraes project and has been working as a trainee for nine months at the Furnas plant, where he has been delegated responsibility for building the security office. “It’s just a 109-square-meter area, but I’m in charge of the entire process,” he says. “I did the detailed engineering, decided the quantity of materials we’ll need and assigned the team for the job. Today it’s just a room but tomorrow it could be a powerhouse or even an entire hydroelectric plant.”

Flávio Scapim, 23, a civil engineer, lives in the town of Franca in his home state of São Paulo, 70 km from the Mascarenhas de Moraes plant. “Coming into direct contact with representatives of the client and the joint-venture partners has been a very important learning experience,” he says.

The Luiz Carlos Barreto de Carvalho hydroelectric plant will be the third facility to undergo retrofitting. A joint venture of Alstom Brasil, GE-Hydro Inepar, Camargo Corrêa, CCES, CNEC, Engevix and Construtora Norberto Odebrecht signed the contract in May. Camargo Corrêa and Odebrecht teams will work together on supplementary civil construction works, electromechanical installation and infrastructure, as well as jointly managing the jobsite.

“We’ve developed a very harmonious relationship with the Camargo Corrêa team. We have to take advantage of this experience of working together to add value to the business by incorporating each partner’s expertise without losing sight of the Odebrecht culture and spirit,” says Contract Director Miguel Figueiredo.

Miguel sees retrofitting the hydroelectric plant as a major challenge. This is his first job as contract director. “I aim to do the right thing and am trying to do an outstanding job based on creative, streamlined engineering. I’m aware that the management team’s skills are key to the project’s success. Therefore, I have made a point of forming a team of people who are both qualified and motivated to take on the challenges involved,” he explains. “All of them are young, but despite their age they have a lot of experience on similar projects and are mature enough to take responsibility for their delegated programs.”

Miguel has worked at Construtora Norberto Odebrecht for 13 years and has just taken part in the Program for Grooming and Developing Entrepreneurs (PDE). “I’m from Rio de Janeiro, and I started out as a trainee on the Cachoeira Dourada hydroelectric plant project in the state of Goiás. Then I was responsible for installation engineering on the Corumbá hydro project and that was my first contact with Furnas. After that I worked on the Itá hydro in Santa Catarina and in 2001 Leonardo Lago and Eleuberto Martorelli invited me to work on the Mascarenhas de Moraes project. Now I’ve been presented with this new challenge and I’m highly motivated. These opportunities give us more energy to do our jobs,” says Miguel.

The Luiz Carlos Barreto de Carvalho hydroelectric plant is located in the municipality of Pedregulho in São Paulo State. It has been operating for 36 years and has 1,050 MW of installed power as well as a 345-kV substation that feeds five transmission lines. Odebrecht will retrofit generator units 1 through 6 and equip the plant for remote-controlled operations. “This process is similar to the other contracts, and our focus, in addition to ensuring the client’s satisfaction and grooming people by means of Education through Work, will be on minimizing interference with the plant’s operations so it continues to generate power without a hitch,” says Miguel Figueiredo.

One of Odebrecht’s objectives is firmly establishing itself in the hydroelectric plant retrofitting market in Brazil and other countries. The United States invests USD 150 million annually in retrofitting and revamping its hydropower plants through a strategic program implemented 20 years earlier than Brazil’s. Based on this American example, expectations are that Brazil will see a significant increase in the need to retrofit its hydroelectric plants. “This is just the beginning,” underscores Miguel.