ROV: The submarine vehicle for the maintenance of dams

Maintenance is part of the daily routine of hydroelectric plants and usually involves a complex process. Inspections may involve drones but also professional divers, making this operation particularly hazardous.

It was precisely to make the entire maintenance process more flexible that the company decided to acquire technology which could afford more autonomy to EDP Produção's internal testing team while also reducing service outsourcing costs.

The technology that was found for this kind of work was the ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle), a remotely operated underwater vehicle with a video camera and sensors capable of capturing data such as depth, pressure, temperature, and so on.

Another objective of this initiative is to focus more on the preventive maintenance of water power assets and to create the conditions for new applications, such as diagnosing and monitoring the company's recently acquired floating solar technology or carrying out inspections in areas for the admission of cooling water for thermal plants.

From the operational point of view, we have the assistance of eight propellers with an HD camera, which gives us greater flexibility in terms of both image and ROV stability.”

Catarina Barradas

Testing and Commissioning Team, EDP Produção

This technology is very important for EDP. Firstly, because assembling the ROV is very simple and fast, but also because the camera and sensor equipment make it possible to record the entire process so that we can later analyze the conditions of the plant in detail.”

Manuel Azenha

Testing and Commissioning Team, EDP Produção

The maintenance of dams involves a very diverse team in which traditional and more recent techniques coexist side by side.

This technology was acquired by EDP in January 2020 and has already been tested at a thermal plant (Lares plant) and at two hydro plants, first in Foz Tua and recently in Castelo do Bode.

ROV: The submarine vehicle for the maintenance of dams