Northern Brazil: Building the path to grid stability

Brazil – ANDRITZ Hydropower Brazil delivers two key projects and reinforces its commitment to meaningful growth. 

It is with great pride that ANDRITZ announces the successful delivery and installation of synchronous condensers at the Tucumã and Feijó substations, located in the state of Acre, in Northern Brazil. These projects mark a significant contribution to the region’s energy infrastructure and reinforce the company’s commitment to meaningful and sustainable growth across all its operations.

Before the installation of the synchronous condensers, Acre and the broader northern region of Brazil faced major challenges in electrical stability and power quality. Voltage fluctuations and drops were common due to the long transmission distances from generation centers to consumers, directly affecting industrial and domestic equipment. Moreover, the lack of stability left the system vulnerable to blackouts and unexpected outages, disrupting homes, businesses, and industries. 

The installation of the condensers enables greater integration of renewable energy sources and improved grid reliability, benefiting both businesses and essential services. The implementation of this equipment in the system will allow the region to be interconnected to the National Interconnected System (SIN), which will allow the replacement of local energy generation based on diesel oil.

Feijó I and II

Through a contract signed with Zopone in late 2022 for the delivery of two condensers, ANDRITZ Hydropower Brazil not only positioned itself as a key player in green transition solutions but also added a new product to its portfolio.

According to Project Manager Carlos Fontes, the company customized the project to meet public agency requirements and, in partnership with ANDRITZ's Competence Center in Austria, developed a 50 MVAr condenser. 

The project officially began in 2023 and was completed in 2025, including equipment delivery and a four-month commissioning period with extensive testing to ensure reliability.

“We can say this project was a success. We delivered the machines with no major issues and performed the reliability tests smoothly, demonstrating our capacity to provide technology that enables our client to offer a stable transmission service,” said Fontes.

Approximately 100 professionals were involved across all project stages.

Tucumã 

The Tucumã project contract was signed at the same time as the one for Feijó, with the same client, but with a different scope. This contract involved delivering a 150 MVAr condenser to the substation near Rio Branco, the capital and most important city in Acre.

The project garnered regional attention during a November 2024 visit by Austrian Ambassador Stefan Scholz, accompanied by ANDRITZ Hydropower Brazil CEO Dieter Hopf. At the time, the equipment was still being installed, a process completed with final commissioning in January 2025.

“The installation of the synchronous condenser at the Tucumã substation adds great value to the region’s development plan led by Zopone in partnership with ANDRITZ. Even during the testing phase, the equipment exceeded all expectations in performance, and we managed to deliver ahead of schedule. This demonstrates our expertise and ability to generate value beyond technology. The northern region will now have a more reliable power grid, positively impacting thousands of people with cleaner, more stable energy,” concluded Project Manager Carlos Fontes.

Author: Cleania Barros