Ituango is a geographical area 170 km northeast of Medellin, Colombia. Here, on the banks of the Cauca River, one of the largest hydroelectric plants in South America is under construction: once fully operational, it will have a total capacity of 2,400 MW and will be able to meet almost 18% of the national electricity demand.
In January, ATB Group acquired a $85 million contract to build 6.2 meter diameter penstocks with vertical steel shafts over four years.
"The first orders for Ituango, commissioned by EPM Empresas Publicas de Medellin, date back to 2014 - explain Enrico Camparada, general manager of the Hydro division, and Gianluca Raseni, operations manager -. We produced the entire range of hydromechanical components for the plant. The new order comes after a series of geological problems that have plagued the area close to the Cauca river. The collapse of some tunnels made it necessary to modify the project, which now includes the steel lining of the underground pipelines".
The managers are very satisfied with this result, which is the result of years of good work. "We have shown that we have the technical and technological capacity to cope, in the short term, with significant supplies".
The design of the hydromechanical components is carried out in Italy, in Brescia, while the manufacturing of equipment for the hydroelectric sector is carried out between Medellin and the temporary plant that is being set up not far from the power plant.
Construction began in recent weeks: it will extend over an area of 20 thousand square meters, 3000 of which are covered, and will employ about 200 people.
