Storm closes thermoelectric plant operation in the interior of Goiás 

Heavy rain paralyzed operations and damaged poles and transformers of the plant's medium voltage network
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Control room ceiling falls and damages 3 medium voltage network posts and 4 transformers. Photo: reproduction

The UTE (Thermoelectric Power Plant) of Palmeira de Goiás, in the interior of the state of Goiás, stopped working due to heavy rain that hit the premises of the unit's operations control center in the late afternoon of last Thursday (7) . 

In a statement sent to ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency), Central Energética Palmeiras SA, the company that manages the plant, highlighted that the storm caused the ceiling of the control room to fall and damage three medium voltage poles and four 24.2kV transformers. 

The incident caused by the fall of the structure caused the thermoelectric plant's protection system to act, paralyzing the generation of warehouses and interrupting the generation systems (shutdown) of the generating units. 

Read too: The cost of dispatching the thermoelectric plants will be passed on to the consumer in 2022.

After completing safety procedures, all employees who were working on site were evacuated and counted. No one was injured, according to the dealership. 

Due to the intensity of the rain, it was also necessary to install a temporary cover for the protection, automation, measurement, telecommunications and supervision panels, and direct current circuit, in order to avoid further damage to the plant. 

The fire department was called and arrived at the scene about ten minutes later. At the scene, a team from the corporation carried out the aftermath. So far, it is not yet known how large the damage caused by the rains was and when the plant will be back in operating condition. 

Exceptional measure 

At the beginning of September, ANEEL had defined criteria for the operation and accounting of energy from the Palmeiras de Goiás thermoelectric plant until December 31, 2021, establishing an exceptional unitary variable cost of R$ 1,475.51/MWh, with a base date of July 2021. 

The decision complied with a determination by the CREG (Chamber of Exceptional Rules for Hydroenergy Management), of the Chamber of Deputies. The body was created with the aim of making decisions that could minimize the effects of the biggest Brazilian water crisis in the last 91 years. 

According to ANEEL, the unit has 175.6 MW of installed capacity and all energy generated on site is used to supply the SIN (National Interconnected System), aiming to guarantee the supply of electricity throughout the country.

Picture of Henrique Hein
Henry Hein
He worked at Correio Popular and Rádio Trianon. He has experience in podcast production, radio programs, interviews and reporting. Has been following the solar sector since 2020.

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