The prompt commissioning of the 66 kV Montenegro-Lucero line will allow the zonal transmission system to be decongested, removing the pressure due to the postponed expansion works on the 66 kV Charrúa-Chillán line, said CGE executives, who met with Deputy Frank Sauerbaum, due to local concern regarding the bottleneck represented by the operation at maximum capacity of the Charrúa-Chillán line, owned by CGE, for the electrical transmission system in the region, particularly in Chillán and in the Province of Diguillín.
The parliamentarian held a meeting this Thursday with Matías Hepp, Director of Operations; Eduardo Gómez, director of Planning and Construction of the Network; and Ernesto Peñafiel, director of Legal Services, CGE.
The Montenegro-Lucero line, owned by the company Sistema de Transmisiones del Sur, of the Saesa group, has a length of 11 kilometers and extends between the new Montenegro substation (formerly Los Canelos), in San Ignacio, whose works were completed in September last year, and the Lucero substation, in Bulnes, which was recently expanded. The works represented an investment of US$6.2 million.
Sauerbaum attended the meeting with the objective of knowing the position of the Chinese-owned company regarding the five failed tenders for the expansion of Charrúa-Chillán, and its eventual interest in agreeing on a direct deal for the completion of the works.
“But it turns out that the problem is quite resolved, at least for the short term, since the recent construction of the Montenegro substation, in San Ignacio, which connects with the Lucero substation, in Bulnes, will allow the system to be relieved; They told me that the works are completed, but they have been waiting for months for authorization to start operating. This line will give us the necessary slack for the next five years and cover the more than 300 projects that today do not have the feasibility of connection to the Copelec network, the needs of the future hospital and the requirements of the CGE itself, which will give us time to the execution of the works in Charrúa-Chillán,” said the deputy.
Short term solution
When consulted by La Discusión, CGE stated that, in the meeting they held with Sauerbaum, “we informed you that CGE is waiting for the completion and prompt commissioning of the 66kV Montenegro-Lucero Transmission line, which must be authorized by National Electrical Coordinator. This will make possible the connection of the Montenegro Substation (formerly Los Canelos) located in San Ignacio, to the Monterrico-Cocharcas line once the protection study of the electrical system in that area is completed, which is expected to take no more than a month and thus solving the existing overload problem in the short term. This will allow us to decongest the current problems of sufficiency of the zonal transmission system.”
They also told the deputy “that the solution to the congestion problems of the electrical system in the Ñuble region, and in other areas of the country, is also conditional on the prompt approval of the Energy Transition Law project, submitted to Congress in November. past, which includes the modification to the General Law of Electrical Services (LGSE) so that the owner companies can tender and directly award those expansion works that the Ministry of Energy declares as necessary and urgent. This rule would allow the bidding and construction of transmission projects to be accelerated, reducing the congestion that currently affects the system.”
Guilds
Yesterday, meanwhile, the legislator met with the president of the Chilean Chamber of Construction (CChC) Ñuble, Ricardo Salman, with whom he addressed this issue.
The union leader commented, following the meeting, that Deputy Frank Sauerbaum, “informed us that an early alternative is being considered for the works on the Charrúa-Chillán transmission line. These works might be available to provide energy to the region as soon as they are received by the National Electrical Coordinator.”
Along those lines, Salman said that “this news is very encouraging. We look forward to meeting directly with CGE’s technical teams next week to understand the proposal in detail and assess how it might provisionally alleviate the region’s energy demand. This would be of great help to maintain the economic activity of the region while the final execution of line 66 Charrúa-Chillán is carried out. It is important to highlight that the Charrúa-Chillán line remains essential, but it seems that the immediate urgency of its execution has decreased. “This is something we wish to confirm with all the actors involved.”
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