NOJA Power OSM Recloser Standing Guard over Castelao Stadium at World Cup

Electrical switchgear engineers NOJA Power today announces that its OSM series Automatic Circuit Reclosers (ACR) are playing a vital role in protecting the electrical supply of several of the 2014 FIFA World Cup’s key facilities in Brazil.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is the twentieth time the tournament will be held and will feature 32 teams playing 64 games in 12 stadiums. The world’s second largest sporting event kicked off with a colourful opening ceremony and a game between hosts and five-times champion Brazil and Croatia on June 12. The competition will culminate with the final to be held at the famous 78,800-seat Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on 13 July.

NOJA Power’s OSM series ACRs are being used to protect the electricity distribution feeders of several of the key facilities being used in the tournament. The company’s OSM15 ACRs, for example, were installed in Castelão Stadium in 2013 prior to the ground’s role for the Confederation Cup – a warm-up event for the World Cup.

Castelão Stadium is in Fortaleza, was built in 1973 and has been extensively renovated for the World Cup. The Stadium seats 60,300 and will play host to six tournament games including Brazil vs. Mexico, Germany vs. Ghana and one of the quarter finals. The NOJA Power ACRs––which have a maximum rated voltage of 15.5kV and a rated continuous current of 800A––are used in an Auto Change Over (ACO) configuration to ensure continuity of electricity supply. One ACR is fitted to the stadium’s primary feeder with an additional unit on a secondary feeder. In the event of a problem with the primary feeder, the ACR opens to isolate the line, while the second unit automatically closes to activate the secondary feeder to supply stadium power while the primary line is repaired.

OSM15 ACR’s are also being used to provide overcurrent protection for the training centre of three-times champion Italy in Mangaratiba, near Rio de Janeiro. The units were installed earlier this year.

Finally, NOJA Power OSM27 ACRs are providing overcurrent protection for feeders of several stadiums in Belo Horizonte, a city in southeast Brazil, which will be used by some of the teams for training. The 27-KV, 800-A ACRs were installed during 2012 and will help ensure a robust power supply while Argentina, Uruguay and Chile use the facilities to train between playing their games.

“The 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will focus the eyes of the globe on our country,” says Bruno Kimura, Managing Director of NOJA Power Brazil. “It is therefore very important that the facilities for these events are seen to be world-class. I’m pleased that NOJA Power Brazil is performing an important part in this respect by providing the equipment that will help ensure reliable electricity supplies so that players and fans can enjoy the spectacle without interruption.”

NOJA Power’s South American subsidiary, NOJA Power Brazil, was formed on January 31, 2012 and moved to a new 1000m2 factory housing an assembly floor, offices and a warehouse last year. The facility is in Campinas, on the modern Techno Park industrial estate. Campinas is in São Paulo State, in the country’s southeast region.

Units from NOJA Power's OSM series of medium-voltage (15, 27 and 38 kV) ACRs have been installed by utilities in over 80 countries around the world. The ACRs have been subjected to full type testing by independent test laboratories such as KEMA in the Netherlands to the latest standards - underscoring the superior safety and performance of NOJA Power’s protection solutions.