10.03.2023
Action on March 14th and 16th is another important step in the implementation of the Emergency Action Plan (PAE).
CTG Brasil, one of the leaders in clean energy generation in the country, will perform next Tuesday, March 14, at Ilha Solteira Hydroepower Plant, and Thursday, March 16, at Jupiá Hydropower Plant, sound tests on the siren towers installed in the areas just below the dams of the two plants, in another important step in the process of implementing the Emergency Action Plan (PAE) of the dam.
With the participation of the municipal Civil Defenses of Ilha Solteira (SP) and Selvíria (MS) at HPP Ilha Solteira, and of the municipal Civil Defenses of Três Lagoas (MS) and Castilho (SP) at HPP Jupiá, the tests will have as main objectives to evaluate the sound range of the horns at full power and the communication between the towers and the plant’s control room, where the supervision center of the dam’s emergency alert system is installed.
“The tests will be fundamental for us to evaluate the performance of the Emergency Alert Network in the dam’s Self-Salvation Zone (ZAS). We hope that, with the system at full capacity, the alert messages can be understood by the entire population living in the ZAS”, explains Pedro Nunes, Dam Safety Manager at CTG Brasil.
To remember, the Self-Salvation Zone, or just ZAS, is the name given to the area of immediate impact, in case of emergency, located just below the dam. In this case, the siren towers have the role of alerting, through the emission of a sound signal, the population living in these areas to head to the nearest point of safety, using the evacuation routes already signaled.
Nunes points out that the PAE has a preventive character and all the dams managed by CTG Brasil are safe, considered of low risk and operate within the regulations of the Dam Safety Law.
Renato Augusto Alves, Municipal Secretary of Security, Transportation, Traffic and Civil Defense of Ilha Solteira, explains that the agency will participate in the tests with seven members and four vehicles. “The function of the Civil Defense is to do mitigation, response, and, when necessary, reconstruction work. But it is essentially a work of prevention and welcoming the community. The plant’s emergency action plan goes in this same direction. We have a lot to contribute and share.”
“This plan takes into account the country’s current legislation and safety standards for dam safety and is important for several reasons. And all of us, not just the company, but Civil Defense, the municipality, citizens, should be prepared for any eventuality and know how to act. This preparation can mitigate damage and save lives, if necessary,” adds João Luiz da Silva, Três Lagoas Municipal Civil Defense and Protection Coordinator.
How will the tests take place?
The sound tests on March 14 and 16 will be carried During the action, 4 types of messages will be tested and the siren towers will be activated by the plant’s control room, where the PAE supervision and activation system is installed. Meanwhile, teams from CTG Brasil and municipal Civil Defenses will be positioned at different points in the ZAS to collect data such as sound pressure and understanding of the alert messages.
The sound can be heard both by people living in and around the ZAS, or those passing through the area at the time of the tests.
The population registered in the areas near the dam is being warned in advance of the tests, through SMS and Whatsapp messages, in addition to a sound car and publication in social networks. Banners will also be fixed at strategic points, in order to guide the community.
Next steps
Once the testing phase of the siren towers is over, the next steps in the implementation of the PAE of Ilha Solteira and Jupiá dams consist in carrying out simulated evacuation exercises with the communities living in the ZAS and the participation of the Civil Defense. All actions in the ZAS involving the community will be communicated in advance.
Spillways
Due to weather conditions and new rainfall forecasts for the Paraná River basin, the Ilha Solteira and Jupiá plants are operating with open spillways. This is a normal operation, determined and coordinated by the National Electric System Operator (ONS), to control the reservoir level, and is not related to the siren tests.
It is worth noting that the Ilha Solteira and Jupiá plants, as well as other hydroelectric plants in Brazil, have their operation coordinated by the ONS in accordance with procedures approved by the National Electricity Agency (ANEEL), both with regard to energy production and control of the reservoir level.
