GNA II power plant suspended following equipment failure

The GNA II power plant, Brazil’s largest thermal plant, has suspended operations following an equipment failure on August 10. The shutdown was caused by a steam turbine circuit breaker failure that affected the unit’s step-up transformer.

Located in the Porto do Açu complex in Rio de Janeiro, the 1.7 GW natural gas-powered facility is a joint venture between BP, Siemens, and SPIC Brasil. The company reported that protection systems functioned as designed, resulting in the shutdown, and confirmed there were no injuries or environmental impacts.

Technical teams are currently working with the equipment manufacturer to assess the causes and develop a plan to return the plant to operation. While the unavailability has been communicated to the National Electric System Operator (ONS), no specific timeline for the restart has been provided. Shared facilities, including the LNG terminal and FSRU, remain operational.