ENGINEERINGNET.EU – Arcadis has signed a US$146 million contract with Norte Energia to provide owner's engineering services to the Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant project in the Xingu River.
Norte Energia is formed by state and private companies in the electricity sector, construction companies, pension funds and investment companies.
With a 35% participation in the consortium, the contract value for Arcadis amounts to US$51 million. The consortium, which further includes Themag, Concremat and ENGECORPS, will perform design certification, construction management and supervision, planning coordination, expediting and commissioning activities.
At the peak of construction - to be reached in the second half of 2013 - the consortium will have more than 160 people at the jobsite.
"Having contributed, back in the 1970s, to the construction of Itaipu (14,000 MW), the largest hydroelectric power plant built in Brazil and the second largest in the world so far, Arcadis consolidates its expertise in large infrastructure projects and renewable energy", said Manoel Antonio da Silva, CEO of Arcadis Logos.
(picture: Wikipedia)
BACKGROUNDER
The Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant will be among the largest of its kind in the world, and will require a total investment of US$15 billion for civil works, equipment and environmental compensations.
Once in operation, it will have 11,200MW of installed capacity in renewable energy. Key figures for the project are 118,000,000m³ of soil excavation, 40,000,000m³ of rock excavation and the use of 4,200,000m³ of concrete.
Considering the 4.8% annual increase in energy demand in Brazil, requiring 171,138MW of total installed capacity by 2020, Belo Monte is built to supply enough energy to support continuous Brazilian growth at lower prices and less environmental impacts.
