Brazil shows an interest in Basque technology park management and smart grid deployment

The Department of Industry, Innovation, Trade and Tourism, through SPRI, will sign an agreement this weekend when the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education of Paraná (Southern Brazil) visits the Basque Country. From today until Friday, the Brazilian delegation will be taking a first-hand look at how the Basque Country develops its technology parks and deploys smart electrical grids.

Basque Government, 02/05/2012

The Brazilian State of Paraná’s interest in the Basque Government’s prestigious work in technology park management and development of smart grids will allow the Basque Country to export its know-how to this region, which is one of the areas with the highest potential for power generation and technology development in Brazil and strategically located in the centre of Mercosur (the Common Market of the South), an alliance covering the Latin American countries. The Department of Industry, Innovation, Trade and Tourism, through SPRI (the Society for Competitive Transformation), is set to sign an agreement with the Institute of Technology (TECPAR) this week when the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education of Paraná (Southern Brazil) visits the Basque Country.

From today until Friday, a delegation from the Brazilian State of Paraná led by the Secretary of State, Alipio Santos Leal Neto, and respective officials from the Institute of Technology and the region’s smart energy project, will be visiting the Basque Country to discover the advances being made in technology park development and implementation of smart grids in the area. During their visit they will also verbally and officially formalise a series of collaboration agreements through SPRI.

The Paraná delegation will learn about the functioning and services offered by SPRI, the Basque Energy Board (EVE), the Technology Park Network and the Bizkaia Science and Technology Park in Zamudio, and get a fundamental insight into both technology park management and the Basque smart grids project (Bidelek). In this case they will be accompanied by public representatives and the private enterprises involved in the project (Iberdrola, Arteche, Ingeteam, ZIV, Ormazabal), together with technology and research centres such as Tecnalia and IK4.

Bidelek

The BIDELEK SAREAK entity, jointly constituted by Iberdrola Distribución Eléctrica, S.A.U. and the Department of Industry, Innovation, Trade and Tourism through the Basque Energy Board (EVE) for the deployment of smart grids in Bilbao and Portugalete, recently allocated the first orders for this project, which will enable improvements including a reduction in power supply problems and savings for consumers, who can also access their own real-time consumption data.

On 22 December 2010 a Collaboration Protocol was signed between Iberdrola and the Basque Government, who undertook to design and implement smart electrical distribution networks in the urban areas of Bilbao and Portugalete. Later, in February 2011, Basque President Patxi López and Iberdrola’s Chairman Ignacio Galán presided the signing of a partnership agreement between Iberdrola and the Basque Energy Board to create BIDELEK SAREAK, the entity that will invest in the implementation of these smart grids.

The BIDELEK project will involve joint investment of 60 million euros over the next three years, and it will be developed in both Bilbao and Portugalete. Almost 1,100 power transformer stations will need to be adapted and fitted out with state-of-the-art electronic equipment, and more than 230,000 electric meters used by 410,000 residents in these areas will be renewed. An advanced rural automation plan will also be launched in the Lea-Artibai area, with renovation of sub-stations.

Turning a power network into a smart grid consists of incorporating digital technology and cutting-edge communication systems to its various components (electricity meters, power transformer stations, electrical substations) in order to provide precise, detailed real-time information on consumption, network loads and power supply problems.

Paraná and Mercosur

Paraná covers an area of almost 200,000 km2 – less than half the size of Spain – and has a population of 10 million. It is one of Brazil’s 26 states and is located in the southern part of the country, bordering with Argentina and Paraguay. It stands in the geographical centre of the Common Market of the South (Mercosur).

The Common Market of the South (Mercosur) is a sub-regional group whose members are Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, soon to be joined by Uruguay and Venezuela. Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador are associate countries, and Mexico is an observer.