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Brazil’s power grid

Over two decades ago, inventor, scientist and mathe-matician R. Buckminster Fuller proposed interconnecting regional power systems into a single, continuous world electric energy grid. While this global vision is still years away, technological advances over the past two decades have made the linking of national, international and inter-regional networks practicable today.

With its booming economy, growing middle class and investments in city infrastructure, Brazil is an important market for electricity grid development. Investments in the smart grid in Brazil are supposed to hit $36.6 billion by 2022, according to a report from the Northeast Group.

That report says that Brazilian utilities will use smart grid investments to reduce electricity theft, improve grid reliability and simply to build out electricity infrastructure.

Back in 2001-2002 Brazil was faced with one of the most serious energy crises in its history.

The crisis was the direct result of a sequence of a few years drier than average in a country with about 80% of hydroelectric generation capacity. Additionally, several delays in the commissioning of new generation plants and transmission problems in the third circuit from the Itaipu hydropower plant accounted for a third of the energy deficit. Reservoir levels reached such low levels that supply could not be ensured for more than four months. 

It was soon clear that despite managing consumption reduction initiatives, intelligent energy networks would be needed to avoid widespread blackouts in the future.

An intelligent energy grid coordinates and controls

electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. This requires tomorrow’s electricity network to be smarter, as it faces new demands following three main goals: •  Improve the energy efficiency of grids, to support    booming markets or better respond to citizens’  electricity consumption.

  • Achieving higher reliability for networks to prevent blackouts.
  • Integrating renewable energies with the increased importance of lowering CO2 emissions.

The Smart Grid represents the evolution of the traditional electricity network: it is a new generation energy trans-mission and distribution network integrating advanced control, IT, telecommunications and power electronics technologies. It provides a real-time, two-way flow of energy and information across the entire electrical grid, from the power plant to the house of the individual consumer.

The Smart Grid secures and optimizes the electricity flow across its entire journey. So, the grid is becoming fully dynamic, and electricity management is entering a new era, with unprecedented efficiency and stability.

 

Pioneering efforts

 

As a pioneer and global leader in its field, Alstom Grid is committed to meeting these challenges, helping to shape the future of electrical grids. Alstom Grid Brazil is supporting the building of the Brazilian infrastructure for more than 55 years, thus contributing to the country’s social and economic development.

In the power generation sector, Alstom is also participating in large hydro projects, such as Santo Antônio, Jirau and Belo Monte. It is also present, with its products and services, in Itaipu and Tucuruí hydro plants, the TermoBahia and TermoRio thermal plants, wind power and in the industrial market. 

Managing exceptional logistics in this challenging environment is the work of Jordana Colla, Senior Logistics Analyst at Alstom Grid. “We rely on global shipping partners such as BBC Chartering, helping us with a reliable high frequency service to Brazil from key manufacturing markets in Europe and the US,” she said during a recent unloading of two large 130mt transformer units of the M/V ‘BBC Kelan’.

Over the past years both companies have developed a strong partnership and BBC Chartering is proud it can be part of the Brazilian efforts, also helping to realize Alstom’s projects with appropriate shipping solutions.

The availability of electric power is a pre-requisite for the success of an industrial society and it’s people quality of life. Electricity is the common denominator of all societal infra-systems: food, shelter, health care, sewage, transportation, communication, education, finance.

The priority of delivering sufficient power to every human is the key as identified through the World Game™, a simulation eliminating politics, prejudice, war and human ignorance. We know, there’s much to be done. Alstom shapes the future – BBC Chartering is pleased to help.

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