Siemens Breaks Ground On Service, Training Center In Bolivia

Siemens recently marked the start of construction on an energy service and training center in Bolivia.

The new Bolivia Service and Training Center is designed to provide Siemens’ specialized high-tech traditional and digital services to energy customers in Bolivia and South America. The new service and training center is located on a 9200² m 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 US$23 million in the facility that is expected to employ approximately 130 people.

The company said it will feature the latest in digital technologies and solutions with Siemens’ advanced remote monitoring and diagnostics, data analytics as well as specialized classroom and hands-on training, parts supply, engineering expertise and project management. By utilizing Siemens’ Fleet Center Solutions at the service center, power generation assets across the country can be monitored remotely, providing real-time insights into the operational conditions of the fleet. Based on those 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 Tim Holt, Siemens global CEO of Power Generation Services. “As demand for energy increases, this new service center, with its advanced digital operations and state-of-the-art monitoring, will serve as a catalyst for maintaining and optimizing 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 Energy Ministry, the project will add more than one gigawatt (GW) 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 center will serve to support these ambitious power plant projects along with other projects in the region.

Siemens said it 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.