This Friday, 2, was inaugurated at the Guamá Science and Technology Park (Guamá STP) the Laboratory of High and Extra-High Voltage, related to the Technology Institute of the Federal University of Pará (ITEC/UFPA). Among other authorities, the ceremony was attended by UFPA’s Chancellor Emmanuel Tourinho, the Assistant Secretary of the Secretariat for Science, Technology and Professional and Technological Education (Sectet), Maria Amélia Enriquez, the President of the Guamá Science and Technology Park , Antônio Abelém, the representative of the Financier of Studies and Projects (Finep), Sergio Leser, and of companies related to the energy area.

The laboratory has a constructed area of 1,153.7m² and about R$16 million in investments. The Federal Government, through Finep, invested more than R$14 million in the construction of the building, acquisition and assembly of equipment. The rest of the investment comes from UFPA and the State Government, which invested in the pavement of the access area to the laboratory.

“The structure can be compared to international laboratories that are reference in high and extra-high tension. It represents a milestone for the region, enabling the training of skilled labor and stimulating research, as well as facilitating the access of local entrepreneurs to important trials to ensure the quality of equipment used in transmission and distribution of energy”, said the  laboratory’s coordinator , prof. Dr. Marcus Vinicius Nunes.

“We are a relatively young technological park and we are very pleased and happy to have another laboratory to provide specialized services to society, today we see a synthesis of what we want for the State: teaching and research working together with the productive sector to Generate innovation and income for the region”, commented Antônio Abelém, Guamá STP’s CEO.

The High and Extra High Voltage Laboratory has a modern structure, with equipment from Switzerland and the United States. In it, equipment such as voltage impulse generators, current impulse and resonant series source are capable of simulating atmospheric discharges to test different types of devices used in transmission and distribution substation equipment such as cables, insulators, transformers, lightning rods, among others. With the tests, companies can confirm, before installing the device in the electrical network, if the data of the manufacturers match the capacity of the devices and also can analyze the performance of equipment with long time of use.

Guamá STP – Built in Belém, in an area of 73 ha provided by UFPA and UFRA, Guamá STP is the first technology park to enter operation in the North Region. The construction and consolidation of the space are the responsibility of the Government of Pará, through Sectet.

In addition to the Laboratory of High and Extra-High Voltage, the technology park has other projects such as the Milk Quality Lab , the Amazon Regional Center of the National Institute of Space Research (CRA Inpe); The Center of Excellence in Energy Efficiency of the Amazon (Ceamazon) and the Innovation Space, a building that houses advanced research and development laboratories that offer varied services to the public and private sectors, startups and companies that have the essence of investment in innovation.

Text by: Juliane Frazão – Ascom Guamá STP
Translation by: Matheus Castelo Branco – Guamá STP
Pictures by:  Alexandre Moraes – Ascom UFPA.