Press Release | Zurich, Switzerland | 03.06.2025 | 2 min read
One of the world's longest HVDC transmission links already serviced for 10 years through Hitachi Energy’s partnership-oriented service offering.
Extended agreement includes an advanced suite of digital solutions, providing real-time monitoring and state-of-the-art cybersecurity.
Hitachi Energy announces the extension of its service contract with Eletrobras, a leader in the generation and transmission of electricity in Brazil, for the Rio Madeira high-voltage direct current (HVDC) system. The 2,375-kilometer (km) HVDC link is one of the longest in the world and for over a decade, the system has benefited from Hitachi Energy’s HVDC technology under an EnCompass™ long-term service agreement, to deliver 3.15 GW of power to some 45 million people.
Hitachi Energy's experts on-site have continuously customized the solutions to meet the evolving needs of the Brazilian network and accommodate seasonal variations, enhancing the reliability and stability of this critical power infrastructure.
For Eletrobras, the safety of people, systems and the environment are essential values, and the renewal of this partnership reinforces the commitment to a reliable and efficient operation. The joint actions between Eletrobras and Hitachi enable the continued modernization of the Rio Madeira HVDC system, and both are committed to excellence in delivering advanced technology and high-quality service standards to meet the growing demands of Brazil's energy sector.
“We’re proud to extend our partnership with Eletrobras, further strengthening our relationship of trust, transparency, and shared goals,” said Andreas Berthou, Head of HVDC & HVDC Service within Hitachi Energy’s Business Unit Grid Integration. “We are committed to ensuring continued support to the Rio Madeira HVDC system throughout its lifetime, delivering cutting-edge digital service with sustainability and customer value at its core.”
The project features a MACH™ control and protection system, the “brain” behind the link, providing advanced monitoring and control functions through the entire lifetime of the HVDC system. The extended agreement also includes cybersecurity solutions that are essential to increase the resiliency of the system and help guard the critical infrastructure against threats.
This unique combination of technology and digital expertise, coupled with expert technical know-how, has helped deliver outstanding availability while upholding superior safety standards.
EnCompass, Hitachi Energy’s portfolio of partnership-oriented service offerings, signals a step-change in life cycle thinking. This order underlines the company’s commitment to trusted long-term service partnerships and builds on its proven track record of delivering innovative and reliable energy service solutions. This key collaboration ensures the Rio Madeira HVDC system continues to play a crucial role in delivering clean, renewable energy from the Amazon basin to Brazil's major urban centers, supporting the country’s energy transition goals.
Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader in electrification, powering a sustainable energy future with innovative power grid technologies with digital at the core. Over three billion people depend on our technologies to power their daily lives. With over a century in pioneering mission-critical technologies like high-voltage, transformers, automation, and power electronics, we are addressing the most urgent energy challenge of our time – balancing soaring electricity demand, while decarbonizing the power system. With an unparalleled installed base in over 140 countries, we co-create and build long-term partnerships across the utility, industry, transportation, data centers, and infrastructure sectors. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ over 50,000 people in 60 countries and generate revenues of around $16 billion USD.
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