Manitoba Hydro International has been awarded a contract by TRANSELEC (a major electricity transmission company in Chile) to study, identify,  and recommend the operation and maintenance activities and corresponding costs  necessary to commercially manage a planned  850 km / 1052 MWatt HVDC transmission system.  A maintenance strategy must be recommended that takes into account the route of overhead transmission lines and submarine DC cable; location of transition yards, converter stations and electrodes; local weather conditions, and the availability of human resources in areas close to the HVDC facilities.   In addition, MHI will identify the risks associated with the operation of the HVDC system, and suggest steps that TRANSELEC can take to prevent the risk from occurring,  or to mitigate against the effects should the occurrence take place.