Power Station

The Atacama Power Station is composed of two generators with a total capacity of 740MW under basic service and ISO conditions.

Each generator is basically composed of:

• Two gas turbines operating on natural gas at 120MW each that can also work on diesel
• Two GEC Alstom heat recovery boilers.
• A GEC Alstom steam turbine of 130MW.

Each turbine is connected to a generator and a transformer that links the power station with a high tension 220 Kv switchyard.

The two combined turbines (natural gas/diesel) have Dry Low NOx  combustion chambers that significantly reduce the emission of nitrogen oxide.

The main cooling system is comprised of two 250-meter long siphons, four main refrigeration pumps and four auxiliary pumps. In the case of the independent turbine of the second cycle, its cooling system is comprised of motorized ventilators, heat interchangers and electrical pumps.

The power station is equipped with three 1,800KW black start back-up systems by Caterpillar that ensure any system requirement can be met and that it can run independently of the SING.
The power station has two water treatment plants for the boilers, the cooling system for the gas turbines, the potable water supply, and for fire fighting and services.

The quality of electric power provision and operational safety are a priority at the Atacama Power Station and that is why we seek to ensure reliable energy generation, free of risks. Therefore, the plant has turbines using technology that has been tested to international standards, whose design specifications have not been modified, except to improve functionality in the face of changing markets or to incorporate new technologies emerging in the global energy industry.

The GasAtacama Power Station has many achievements to its name thanks to its organizational, administrative and structural configuration, its back-up equipment, its use of natural gas as a clean source of energy, its infrastructural improvements, its control mechanisms and maintenance management systems, as well as its employment of highly trained personnel:
1)    A significant participant in the market, supplying around 20% of power supplies to the SING.
2)    A continuously high availability index since commercial operations began, which is supported by long-term maintenance contracts with General Electric. Operational consistency for the Atacama Power Station has been around 90%.
3) Thanks to its use of natural gas and the efficiency of the power plant, it has the lowest emissions index among all SING power generating companies for the gases SO2, PM10, NOx & CO2 .