The Caruachi hydroelectric plant () was initially fitted with
Kaplan turbine-generators that
General Electric supplied for the project and were commissioned in April 2003. The twelfth and final unit entered service on February 28, 2006, and entered into formal/fully commercial operation on 31 March 2006, when the project was officially inaugurated. The total installed capacity is and the power plant produces approximately annually. This project is formed jointly with the
Central Hidroeléctrica Simón Bolívar in Guri,
Antonio José de Sucre in Macagua and
Manuel Piar in Tocoma (under construction), the development of Lower Caroní River hydroelectric resources and one of the world's largest hydro projects now in construction, that, when completed, EDELCA (Electrificación del Caroní CA) claims will save Venezuela the equivalent of 750,000 barrels of oil per day, compared to 300,000 currently.
Design and construction The contract for the design, supply and installation of the main electro-mechanical equipment was awarded to a consortium of
Kvaerner of Norway,
GE Energy of the US, and Elin Transformatoren GmbH of Austria. Major work began on the project in 1998. Following GE's acquisition of Kvaerner's hydro business in 1999, over 90% of the Caruachi contract was carried out by GE Hydro, including all aspects of the design, supply and installation of the turbines, generators, governors, exciters and cranes. A total of 12 Kaplan turbine-generator units, each capable of a power output of 180 MW, were supplied to the project.
ABB of Switzerland won three contracts to provide the power transmission system for the project. A 400
kV substation and four related 400 kV
transmission lines connect the plant with the country's transmission network.
Alstom Power was awarded the contract for distributed control system and SCADA, and small electrical auxiliaries like
UPS equipments and DC distribution boards. The original GE Hydro and Elin contracts were, through several mergers and acquisitions, transferred to the 2005-created
Andritz Hydro of Austria. While the original Alstom contract was in 2014 inherited by a new
GE Renewable Energy entity. == Features ==