AFRY has won a contract in consortium with Latinoconsult to provide services for the rehabilitation and modernisation of the 200MW Acaray hydropower plant in Paraguay.
The contract has been awarded by Paraguay’s state-owned power utility Administración Nacional de Electricidad (ANDE).
Under the contract, AFRY and Latinoconsult will deliver full services for the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Acaray plant to help extend its lifecycle.
Besides, the project aims at enhancing the hydropower plant’s availability and reliability along with boosting its power generation capacity.
Located in the Alto Paraná department, the Acaray hydropower station was commissioned in 1969.
The renovation and modernisation project of the Acaray plant is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). It is part of ANDE’s 2021-2040 Generation Roadmap which aims to expand the hydro complex with the development of 19 small hydro projects, hybrid and battery energy storage systems, and solar photovoltaic plants.
ANDE president Félix Sosa said: “The panels of experts consider the repowering of existing energy sources as the best alternative for greater energy availability according to cost-benefit and sustainability criteria.
“We are therefore at the forefront. With this project, we are preparing to restore our first hydroelectric power plant, which is still the only 100% Paraguayan so far.”
According to AFRY, the initial phase of the Acaray hydropower plant’s renovation and modernisation project will span around 20 months.
The Sweden-based engineering, design, and advisory services firm will analyse earlier studies and develop technical solutions that will be tendered. These solutions will be carried out in the second phase of the contract which is expected to take place in the following 40 months.
AFRY is also expected to oversee the contractors on site and ensure the technical and social-environmental compliance of the project during the execution of the rehabilitation work.
AFRY Chile country manager Patrick Furrer said: “We are proud to be able to deliver sustainable solutions and further improve energy generation infrastructure for the projects included in ANDE’s Master Plan for Generation Roadmap.
“This is one of the most important assignments for the modernisation and rehabilitation of hydroelectric power plants in Latin America, and at AFRY we believe this is the way forward when addressing the challenges of climate change and sustainability.”
