Since its creation in 2012, the Permanent Power Supply (PPS) team —part of the Infrastructure Maintenance Group (IMG)— has been responsible for generating and distributing power throughout the observatory.

“Electricity is the heart of ALMA, so this team — and the entire engineering group — strives to ensure that the supply is of the highest quality and as stable as possible. This way, in the event of unforeseen circumstances, it can be restored in the shortest possible time, allowing observation conditions to be reestablished as quickly as possible,” says Rolando Olivos, IMG Manager.

With three gas turbines capable of producing up to 3.7 MW each, a network of more than 90 transformers, and hundreds of kilometers of underground cables, they ensure that ALMA operates at the top of the Chajnantor Plateau.

Among the milestones in the area, one exceptional achievement stands out: more than 600 days of continuous operation without unscheduled downtime, a record that reflects the commitment and precision of the team.

Recent years have also brought significant challenges such as unexpected outages, component degradation, and obsolescence, which have prompted joint efforts with manufacturers to strengthen the system’s reliability and adapt it to new conditions of use.

The impact of their work is fundamental: the electricity they provide not only enables observations, but also sustains the life of the observatory. Thanks to their dedication, the team ensures a stable supply and rapid recovery from failures so that ALMA can continue to explore the cosmos without interruption.