A maintenance operation failure that caused a water hammer situation and forced Punta Catalina I power plant and its 352MW to not return to the national grid after a regular maintenance check, resulted in major blackouts nationwide. The Punta Catalina power plant failure coincided with the removal from the grid of a similarly large coal-fired Itabo power plant that had been scheduled for regular maintenance.
Jaime Aristy Escuder, former director of the Punta Catalina power plant, attributed the failure of the Punta Catalina I power plant to the inexperience of the new power plant operators. He explained that in September 2020, with the change of government, key persons of the technical staff of Punta Catalina were replaced by new engineers. The staff that was fired had been trained by the General Electric and Technimont builders of the power plant.
Aristy Escuder and former CDEE general manager Ruben Jimenez Bichara have explained on different radio programs that the power plant had been out for regular maintenance, but an operational error resulted in the water hammer situation and the plant then has required corrective maintenance resulting in a deficit in power supply.
Aristy Escuder recommended that the Abinader administration resume the tender to hire a professional management company started in this administration. This had process had been started under engineer Cesar Sanchez, but was suspended by Energy Minister Antonio Almonte. Likewise, Aristy Escuder recommended that in the meantime, the government request assistance from Tecnimont, the Italian firm that built the power plant together with Odebrecht and General Electric.
Energy Minister Antonio Almonte instead blamed the blackouts on a situation inherited by the past authorities. He said that government has contracted for emergency barges to fill in the void with over 400 MW and overall has contracted for 2,000 MW of power.
The blackouts have mainly been felt in Santiago and interior provinces. Meanwhile, the country’s heat wave has increased the demand for power.
The government operated electricity distribution entities have reported the heat wave affecting the country as a result of the Sahara dust cloud has increased the national electricity demand, worsening the problem.
The demand for electricity reached 3200MW during peak hours, being this figure the historical record level registered in the national electric system.
In a press conference, Energy Mines Antonio Almonte said that when Luis Abinader took office in August 2020, the new government received an electricity system with no reserves, so that if a plant goes out of operation for maintenance, there is a generation deficit.
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DR1 News
23 May 2022