Brazilian Transmission System: A Race for the Future

The South American country of Brazil is not only hosting the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic games, Brazil is currently expanding its high voltage transmission network all across their vast country. With a large number of new hydroelectric power plants in various planning and construction stages, Brazil's projects bring a new scale to the concept of green power. The implementation of the ANEEL (National Agency of Electrical Energy) Auction for defining new transmission players responsible for the design, construction and operation of the new transmission lines, are promoting healthy competition among Brazilian engineering companies to develop new design solutions. HVDC projects (±800 kV) or EHV lines (765kV AC) are currently under study, while other 500kV AC, ±600kV HVDC and a multitude of support lines are currently under construction from the Amazon Basin in the North region of Brazil, to the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, in the Southeast region, crossing distances up to 1,500 miles (2,400 km). This paper summarizes the main projects mentioned above, with emphasis on the new transmission lines and their structural solutions.