BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The first unit of Ecuador Minas 3X90MW hydropower project built by Harbin Electric International Co., Ltd. (HEI) was successfully connected to the grid and started generating electricity, the company announced on Friday.
HEI is a branch of Harbin Electric Corporation (HE), the earliest-established power generation equipment manufacturing company in China. The Minas project is HE's first hydropower project in South American market.
The project's success is significant for electricity supply in Ecuador.
During the construction of the project, the company solved a series of technical difficulties. Nine 230KV cables were installed in a 450-meter vertical shaft, setting the record for high-voltage cable laying in the deepest vertical shaft in both China and Ecuador.
It is reported that HEI team in Ecuador is ready for a 72-hour trial operation of the unit, and is preparing for power generating of two other units of the hydropower plant. (Edited by Li Wenxin, Yang Qi, liwenxin@xinhua.org)