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Itaipú replaces 40-year-old lightning arresters to prevent explosions
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Crime & Justice

Itaipú replaces 40-year-old lightning arresters to prevent explosions

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Itaipú Binacional is replacing 40-year-old lightning arresters at its Right Bank Substation to prevent critical failures and explosions.
  • The new equipment uses advanced polymer insulator technology, promising a longer lifespan than the old porcelain insulators.
  • Approximately 30 units have been replaced so far, with work coordinated to minimize impact on energy supply.

Itaipú Binacional has begun a large-scale replacement of lightning arresters that are four decades old at its Right Bank Substation. This initiative aims to prevent critical failures, short circuits, and potential explosions in transformers, which could compromise the electrical energy supply.

The Superintendency of Maintenance within Itaipú's Technical Directorate is overseeing the progressive change of these vital components. The existing arresters, installed around 40 years ago and featuring porcelain insulators, are being replaced with state-of-the-art polymer insulator technology. The binational entity highlighted that these new devices are expected to have a service life exceeding 25 years, significantly reducing the risk of structural collapses and explosions associated with the severe wear of the older equipment.

For the substitution of these lightning arresters, it is necessary to carry out their commissioning beforehand, adapt the bases and recondition the active part of the interconnection conductors.

— Ing. MendozaExplaining the technical process required for the replacement.

So far, technicians have successfully replaced 30 units of 220 kV lightning arresters at key points within the power plant. The civil and electromechanical tasks have focused on transformers identified as T02/R01, T02/R02, T03/R03, T06, and T07. Additionally, operational crews have worked on the transmission lines connecting to the National Electricity Administration (ANDE), specifically the Acaray 1 and Acaray 2 Transmission Lines.

Engineer Vicente Mendoza, a representative from the Superintendency of Maintenance, confirmed that the work is adhering to the official schedule. He explained that the replacement process requires complex physical and electrical adjustments, including commissioning the new protectors and adapting the active part of the interconnection conductors. These maneuvers are meticulously coordinated with maintenance schedules to ensure the dispatch of energy is not negatively affected, with activities often executed during preventive maintenance shutdowns.

These activities are executed taking advantage of the disconnection of the equipment during preventive maintenance tasks.

— Ing. MendozaDescribing how the work is coordinated to avoid disrupting energy supply.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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