NOJA Power Reclosers to Increase Network Reliability in Brazil

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Companhia Enérgetica de Minas Gerais (CEMIG) has awarded NOJA Power a contract to supply the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, with 179 OSM27 Reclosers. NOJA Power will supply the recloser units – complete with RC01ES control and communications cubicles – as the result of an international tender with an exhaustive technical and commercial evaluation process.

CEMIG’s reputation on the international market is considerable. Not only are they the only Latin American electricity supplier to be listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, but this year is the ninth consecutive year that CEMIG has been listed. CEMIG achieves this through its commitment to its customers and its ability to provide sustainable employment for over 10,000 employees.

CEMIG is one of Brazil’s most important energy suppliers, both in terms of size, connections served, and technical expertise. CEMIG’s distribution network covers 96.7% of the state of Minas Gerais, an area roughly the size of France, with a total network length of over 350,000 kilometres and 55 power plants. In their continuing effort to supply over 17 million people, CEMIG employs one of the most broad and ambitious modernisation programs in Latin America.

CEMIG’s primary energy matrix is hydroelectric power, making efficient use of the Minas Gerais region’s abundance of fast-running rivers. CEMIG’s commitment to sustainable energy also sees them make significant investment in developing practical applications for solar, solar thermal, and wind alternative energy sources. Many of CEMIG’s renewable energy initiatives are actively supplying significant energy into the distribution network.

CEMIG Headquarters

NOJA Power’s contract with CEMIG comes as part of CEMIG’s ongoing Master Technology Plan, an annual initiative to modernise the state’s power network and to invest in new technology, with a focus on improving the safety and reliability of their network.  NOJA Power’s reclosers will be used to increase the reliability of the medium-voltage overhead network especially in remote and rural areas. The OSM units will allow for automation and remote control over various communications mediums, including radio modem, GSM modem, and fibre optics. These remote mediums will allow CEMIG to manage and maintain power directly from the CEMIG master SCADA, via the DNP3 communications protocols.

Prior to awarding NOJA Power the contract, CEMIG sent an inspector to the NOJA Power factory in Brisbane, Australia, to perform a comprehensive audit of the company’s manufacturing and quality processes.

The success of the contract will be supported by FEST, NOJA Power’s exclusive representative in Brazil. Bruno Kimura, the Brazilian engineer who completed an internship with NOJA Power in 2006, will provide exceptional first-hand local system integration and technical support.