Posted on January 25, 2016
By: Marco Felippe
Photo: William Borges/Comércio da Franca
Nine months after being announced, on January 11 at Ibiraci (MG) the works for the electrical substation started, which will be interconnected to the Belo Monte Plant, in Xingu, Pará State. Considered as the largest electrical power substation in Latin America, the construction will help to expand and strengthen the national electricity system and may employ at its peak more than 300 employees. One hundred will be hired immediately for the start of the works in March.
At the end of the Belo Monte transmission line (electric power transmission line with 2100 km), the Estreito Substation – as it is being called – will transform the DC power (800 kV) to AC power (500 kV) and distribute to the national system focusing mainly the Southeast large cities. The whole project is estimated at R$ 2 billion, of which R$ 200 million in the construction. “We are delighted with this construction in the city. It is a work of great importance for the energy sector, which will generate taxes and job vacancies. The local economy will be benefited”, said the Ibiraci mayor, José Fernando Hermógenes de Freitas (PSDB).
The substation will be built five kilometers from Lage rural district toward Estreito, Pedregulho District, in an area of 250,000 square meters and will take two year to complete. In this first phase, are being made the earthworks. 
On-site, there is an existent power substation running already, which will be connected to the future construction. “The staff in charge of the construction are in Lage to start to install the construction site and camp. Within a few days will also begin the hiring”, said the executive chief.
Hires
According to Sendi Engenharia e Construções company’s director (company responsible for the construction of the substation), Sérgio Hortêncio, the admission are planned to take place within 15 to 20 days and the preference will be for Ibiraci and region workers. “The direct labor will be from the city. We will bring only the leaders and staff with more expertise from outside”.
Among the hires, which will be made in the region, there are bricklayers, carpenters, assembler, electrician, assistants. The minimal wage will follow the São Paulo State with the range from R$ 1.200 to R$ 4.000. The interested parties can bring the curriculum to Ibiraci Prefecture which will make the referral of candidates through Cras (Social Assistance Reference Center). “The work does not begin at full throttle, so we will hire as needed. Only from Sendi will be 300 employees, but the whole enterprise involves other companies that also make hiring.”
The Transmission line
The Xingu/Estreito Transmission line works are carried out by IE Belo Monte consortium, formed by the Chinese company State Grid and the Brazilian companies Furnas and Eletronorte. With 2100 kilometers, it will cross Pará, where it is being built the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant, Tocantins, Goiás and Minas Gerais. The project as a whole has 28 transformers, 25,000 kilometers of wire and 4500 towers that will support the cables. According to Aneel (Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency), the whole construction should generate 12,500 direct jobs.