The Comision Tecnica Mixta de Salto Grande is now advancing plans to modernize the 1,890-MW Salto Grande hydroelectric plant, on the Uruguay River between Argentina and Uruguay.
BNamericas reports that the commission is seeking consultants to conduct technology integration studies for equipment and systems of the generation and transmission processes and draft technical specifications for the tender of the new control system.
The hydropower complex boasts 14 turbine-generator units, the first of which came online in 1979 and the last in 1983, and it connects to the two countries’ grid via a 500-kV transmission system.
This move comes three months after the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved US$80 million to modernize the plant. The IDB financing will support an initial five-year phase as part of a 25-year strategic investment plan for the facility that reaches an estimated US$960 million.
In January 2019, Salto Grande accounted for 4.27% of Argentina’s net generation, which totaled 11,723 GWh, according to wholesale power market administrator Cammesa. Information from Uruguay’s power market administrator Adme shows that of the 1,413 GWh injected into the grid in January, 33% came from Salto Grande.
