Siemens begins construction of training centre in Bolivia

Siemens' new centre in Bolivia aims to support power plant projects such as Termoelectrica del Sur (pictured)

The ground-breaking ceremony was held on November 15 and was attended by Bolivian Minister of Hydrocarbons and Energy Rafael Alarcon, Siemens Global CEO of Power Generation Services Tim Holt, Siemens Latin America head of Power Generation Services Tim Frace, and Siemens Bolivia head John Prado.

Siemens and Bolivia’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in future technology projects in areas such as distributed generation, renewable energy, electrical infrastructure, lithium industrialisation, and digitalisation. The new Bolivia Service and Training Centre is designed to provide Siemens’ specialised high-tech traditional and digital services to energy customers in Bolivia and South America.

The new service and training centre is located on a 9,200 square metre site at the Parque Industrial Latinoamericano (PILAT) in the city of Warnes and will also function as a hub for servicing power equipment installed in the South America region.

Siemens is investing over $23 million in the facility that is expected to employ approximately 130 people. It will feature the latest in digital technologies and solutions with Siemens’ advanced remote monitoring and diagnostics, data analytics, as well as specialised classroom and hands-on training, parts supply, engineering expertise, and project management.

By utilising Siemens’ Fleet Centre Solutions at the new service centre, power generation assets across the country can be monitored remotely, providing real-time insights into the operational conditions of the fleet.

Based on these insights, Siemens' advanced data analytics will make recommendations for improved performance to help extend the operational lifetime of the power plants. “A sustainable and reliable power supply is vital to enabling economic prosperity in Bolivia,” said Holt. “As demand for energy increases, this new service centre, with its advanced digital operations and state-of-the-art monitoring, will serve as a catalyst for maintaining and optimising performance at power facilities across the country and throughout South America.”

Siemens is providing its power generation technology to substantially expand three combined cycle power plants in Bolivia: Termoeléctrica del Sur, Termoeléctrica de Warnes, and Termoeléctrica Entre Ríos.

Part of an overarching collaboration between Siemens and Bolivia’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy, the project will add more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of capacity to the local power grid, substantially increasing the installed power generating capacity of Bolivia’s national interconnected system.

The close proximity of this new service and training centre will serve to support ambitious power plant projects along with other projects in the region. Siemens is working to help Bolivia maintain a reliable energy supply for the country's population and lay the groundwork for future exports. Power generation in Bolivia is projected to almost double, from 8.7 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2014 to 14.2 TWh in 2026.

This will allow Bolivia’s planned electricity exports to match internal demand by 2025, in line with the nation’s goal of becoming the energy hub of South America and providing electricity to its bordering countries.