They denounce the failures of an Ecuadorian hydroelectric plant built by China

Ecuador’s electricity company CELEC discovered additional developments at its Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower plant during scheduled talks that could affect water flowsaid the director of the state-owned company, the latest problem with the facility built by Chinese Sinohydro.

This conclusion comes after CELEC in May requested an arbitration process through the International Chamber of Commerce to resolve a dispute with the Chinese company over cracks in the distributors of the 1,500 megawatt plant at a cost of $ 2,200 million, which has hampered its normal operation since its inauguration in 2016.

When four of Coca Coco Sinclair’s eight turbines were shut down due to scheduled maintenance, CELEC discovered some missing bolts on the valves, said manager Gonzalo Uquillas, adding that the problem is concentrated in the teams that regulate the passage of water from the pressurized pipes to the turbines.

“By disarming this, there are new features: Of the 96 bolts that secure the gaskets of these valves, some bolts are missing.Uquillas explained in an interview on Friday July 16. “I don’t want to believe they didn’t install them, but let’s say they’re gone.”

Maintenance of the power station, which supplies 30% of the Andean country’s electricity demand, was initially scheduled from May to September, but it could be extended for another 60 days, because in the technical controls are “news”, explained Uquillas.

Neither Sinohydro Neither the Chinese Embassy in Quito responded to a request for comment.

Missing valve bolts are a separate issue from manifold cracks. For CELEC, the main problem of Coca Codo Sinclair, located in the Amazonian provinces of Napo and Sucumbíos, are the cracks.

The state enterprise’s proposal to resolve the dispute is that Sinohydro assume a possible investment of more than $ 20 million for a “coating that is made to the entire distributor in a circular manner using carbon”, which would protect this infrastructure from possible water leaks due to cracks, said Uquillas.

The manager noted that Sinohydro has not yet responded to CELEC’s notification of the request for arbitration and requested a extension. He added that the impossibility of resolving the dispute could delay the final transfer of ownership of the Sinohydro plant to CELEC, which would take place at the end of 2022.

“We will not receive the control unit until all issues are corrected“said Uquillas.” The goal is ensure Yes to guarantee the useful life of the plant ”.

On the other hand, CELEC invests $ 100 million to protect the Coca Codo Sinclair reservoir from the rapid erosion of the Coca River, which threatens the country’s strategic infrastructure located in the same area.

(With information from Reuters)

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