Power management company Eaton today announced it was awarded an additional $5.2 million contract to provide critical electrical installation services for the Panama Canal Expansion Program.
Eaton’s contract was awarded by Grupo Unidos por el Canal, SA (GUPC), the contractor responsible for the design and construction of the third set of locks of the expansion program under contract to the Panama Canal Authority. The expansion project is expected to be completed by the end of 2015 and operational in early 2016.
The Panama Canal Expansion was more than 80 percent complete as of the end of December 2014. The resulting third lane of traffic will allow the passage of bigger vessels, which will double the Canal’s capacity and have an important impact on world maritime trade.
The project will also help to protect and conserve the water resources of the Panama Canal watershed. A new water-saving basin system will improve water efficiency, utilizing seven percent less water than the existing locks. In addition, 60 percent of the water will be recycled in each transit.
GUPC is a consortium led by Spain’s Sacyr Vallehermoso, Italy’s Impregilo, the Belgian Jan de Nul Group, and Panama’s Constructora Urbana SA.