The Russian turbine-generator manufacturer will remain as technical supervisor during the early weeks of full commercial operation at the power plant, completing that phase of the contract at the end of August. The contract then requires the warranty period and maintenance cover for the project to last until 2009.
Commissioning of the second 375MW rated capacity unit began in late May and a 200-hour test was performed. The first unit for the project near Tepic, Nayarit was commissioned and entered commercial operation three months ago. The maximum capacity of each unit is 416.7MW.
The El Cajon scheme is being built on a turnkey basis for US$750M by the Constructora Internacional de Infraestructura JV, which is led by the Empresas ICA Sociedad group and also includes Power Machines. The JV signed the contract with the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) just over four years ago, and the hydro project includes a 180m high rockfill dam.
