POWERCHINA-built Ivirizu Sehuencas Hydropower Station Earns Good Reputation

Since POWERCHINA entered the Bolivian market in 2011, the company has lived up to its high expectations with perseverance. At the signing ceremony of the Ivirizu Sehuencas Hydropower Station, the then Bolivian President Evo Morales acknowledged POWERCHINA's performance in the country, emphasizing that the central city Cochabamba would become the national energy center, in which the Ivirizu Sehuencas Hydropower Station would play a very important role.

According to Wang Penghui, the project manager of Ivirizu Sehuencas Hydropower Station I-bid, the dam site is located at the Carrasco National Park, and the main constructions include water retaining, drainage and diversion buildings, as well as roads. The project will be completed in June 2024. By then, it will ensure the power supply for over 7 million people in the region. Moreover, the benefit will extend to surrounding areas and the power can be exported to neighboring countries like Brazil and Argentina. It will realize Bolivia's power export for the first time, contributing to the national plan of becoming the South American energy core.

On March 21, 2020, the Bolivian government declared a state of quarantine, and all construction came to a cease. How to balance epidemic prevention and production became the top priority for Wang Penghui. He said the six-month quarantine put the project in the pressure of performance fulfillment and contract risk. While working together with the local people to fight against the covid and resume work and production, the project department effectively enhanced the progress by combining the local construction standards with the actual situation, laying a good foundation for good performance. Wang firmly believed that the completion of the project will further enhance POWERCHINA's brand influence and showcase the company's comprehensive construction capability. It will offer more jobs to local people, accumulate more resources for further and deeper market development, and boost good communication and mutual trust with the local government.

In the past five years since the start of the Iberisu Hydropower Plant, the project department has taken measures to attract local talents to join the technical management team, bringing into play their language, business, technical, legal and human resources expertise, which has significantly contributed to the project's production, operation and performance level. Bolivian employee Benavides Laura Gonzalo gained a deeper understanding of POWERCHINA's professional construction capability, high technical level and profound team culture, after joining the project team.

Zhi Jiwei, deputy project manager of the I-bid of the station, knew all the details of the difficulties since the project construction. “The environmental protection requirements and quality standards are significantly higher than other projects. It's just one of all the challenges we've faced. However, all employees faced with these tough challenges with the spirit of togetherness, concentration, and courage to make the project steadily move forward."

As the world's largest power construction designer and contractor with the most complete industrial chain, POWERCHINA has strong technical strength and rich management experience, said Yang Ye, country representative of Bolivia at POWERCHINA's regional headquarters in the Americas. He introduced that the hydropower station is located in a national forest park. As the first dam project in an ecological reserve in Bolivia, it has high environmental requirements. "During the five years of construction, we have strictly sticked to the construction planning and followed the measures for environmental protection and soil and water conservation. The project department has ensured that no damage has been done to the local ecological environment. There has been no accident of environmental pollution or economical damage, nor has there been any incident of administrative warning or punishment by the local government, supervisors or owners."

"It's our purpose to get a project done well, make some local friends and build our reputation there," said Yang Ye. It's not easy for Chinese enterprises to do projects overseas. POWERCHINA has walked its talk to honor its responsibility and commitment as a Chinese company. On the one hand, all constructions are carried on based on the principle of proximity and not disturbing and ensuring the supply of living materials for the local residents. On the other hand, the project department has established a green recruitment channel to open up employment opportunities for the local people, striving to make the dream of living well come true for its thousands of foreign employees.