South Korean steel giant POSCO has announced that its subsidiary POSCO E&C has successfully completed first phase synchronization of the Angamos coal-fired plant project under construction in Chile.
According to a company release, the 520 MW Angamos project, POSCO E&C's second overseas engineering/procurement/construction project, consists of two plants each with a capacity of 260 MW. Synchronization of the first plant involved the process of delivering and connecting initially produced electricity to the existing power system via transmission lines.
The Angamos coal-fired project, which was devised to provide electricity to Australian mining giant BHP Billiton's coal mining area in northern Chile, was ordered by US-based power company AES Group.
The first plant will undergo generation capacity expansion testing for safety and reliability as well as performance assurance testing prior to launching commercial operations in April 2011. The second will go through the same process before commercial operation begins in October 2011. The project started in 2008.
In addition to the Ventanas and Angamos plants, POSCO E&C is scheduled to construct the Santa Maria power plant in Chile. POSCO E&C also has two coal-fired power plant projects under construction in Peru's Callpa and Chilca Uno.