Last January, at the Metunas Metal Structures Company, work began on forging the essential structures for the complete recovery of block number two of the Lidio Ramón Pérez thermoelectric plant in Felton, Holguín.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- Mechanical Engineer and MSc Julio César Tamayo Rodríguez, the director-general, emphasizes that this is the largest task undertaken by the group in its history, "due to the manufacturing complexities of the process and the importance and significance of its objective."

He explains that the workshops are manufacturing 650 tons of metal structures, beams, and columns, reinforced from welded and painted sheets. These structures will support the dome and boiler of the generating unit, which was affected by a large-scale fire on July 8, 2022, and has been out of operation since then.

“Before beginning the metal transformation, the steel was technically prepared with metallographic analysis to determine its chemical composition and mechanical properties, according to the technical requirements of the project,” recalls the candidate to a PhD in Technical Sciences.

He argues that “manufacturing involves structuring all production phases efficiently to optimize resources, reduce costs, and guarantee the quality of the project. This process is carried out by four teams responsible for cutting, welding, assembling, and applying anti-corrosion treatment to the parts, which they perform as guarantees of the quality of the finished product.”

To ensure efficient operation, they have organized the distribution of electrical loads and are taking on the challenge in a single work shift, taking into account the energy contingency, and are completing the scheduled daily tasks.

In the manufacturing process, they use semi-automatic and automatic welding to ensure greater uniformity and quality in the seams, which imposes greater demands on their craft, argues Tamayo Rodríguez. He explains that once these labors are completed, their quality is reviewed using X-ray and ultrasound tests, which allow porosity, slag inclusions, cracks, and lack of fusion in the weld to be identified using radiographic images. These are taken by experts from the Metallurgical Research Center (CIME), part of the business group, who provide the final quality assessment.

The first step involved specialists and engineers from Metunas and Cedema, which consisted of digitizing the designs submitted by the client and then preparing the plans for the technological manufacturing process for each part that undergoes machining, cutting, and assembly. "We adapt them to our industry based on the projects," he explains.

He emphasizes that these tasks "replace multi-million-dollar imports, and with the accumulated experience, we will be in a position to take on other projects of this importance for the Ministry of Energy and Mines at other thermoelectric plants in the country," Tamayo Rodríguez explains.

In his farewell address, Julio César Tamayo Rodríguez, mechanical engineer and MSc, emphasized: "We will not fail the country's leadership, which has put all its efforts into the recovery of this vital electricity generating unit, intending to stabilize the sensitive service to the population and the economy."