Work on the implementation of ENGIE Brasil Energia’s Novo Estado Project (PNE), with 3,634 towers supporting 1,800 km of double circuit transmission lines in the states of Pará and Tocantins, is proceeding apace. Energization tests and simulations are now beginning and if successful, will allow the partial entry into operation of the system. It is critical for the public at large to be  alert to any changes and to observe safety measures in the vicinity of the towers.

In the first phase of the tests, the transmission line connecting the Itacaiúnas and Serra Pelada substations and transecting the municipalities of Marabá, Eldorado dos Carajás and Curionópolis, will be energized. “The Novo Estado Project is extremely important for the offtake of energy generated in the North and the Northeast and connecting the Xingu, Miracema and Itacaiúnas substations. The Serra Pelada substation will work as a hub for the Xingu substation, to which some major hydropower plants are connected”, ENGIE’s chief implementation officer, Márcio Neves pointed out. “The energization test phase is when we are able to show the quality in the project’s execution as well as the reliability and safety of the system”, the executive added.

It is important to respect the limits of the easement strip. This is the area established for ensuring safety along the entire route of the Transmission Line and within the confines of which construction, assembly, operation and subsequent line maintenance take place. In the case of this project, the easement strip is 55 meters wide for the stretch which connects the Itacaiúnas and Serra Pelada substations and 58 meters in the other segments of the line.

As to the precautions to be taken in the easement strip, Novo Estado wishes to notify that it is prohibited to touch or climb the transmission line towers, fly kites and launch balloons, practice activities which may result in burns or to remove rock or soil. Usage for cultivation and pasture as well as transiting along or across the easement strip is permitted as long as this is done in safety and respecting the distance of the energized towers. The energization tests will be conducted gradually pari passu with the progress of transmission line implementation.