El Quimbo Dam
Encyclopedia
The El Quimbo Dam is a concrete faced rock-fill dam (CFRD) and hydroelectric power project under development in the Huila Department
of southwestern-central Colombia
, approximately 69 kilometres (42.9 mi) south of the city of Neiva
, on the Magdalena River
. It is located about 1300 metres (4,265.1 ft) upstream from the confluence of the Río Páez with the Río Magdalena. Its works were officially opened on February 25, 2011 in the presence of President Juan Manuel Santos
. It is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country. The project is planned to be completed over a period of 4 years, in 2015.
The project will have a powerhouse near the base of the dam with an installed capacity of 400 MW, which is expected to achieve an average energy generation of 2,216 GWh/year, with a dam that will have a live storage of 1,824 hm3 and an inundated area 8250 hectares (20,386.2 acre). The objective is to enhance the energy security and stability of the Colombian electricity supply
, meeting about 8% of energy demand in Colombia with energy prospects of 1,650 GWh to 2034.
Environmental license to implement the project was granted by Colombia's Environment Ministry, which was announced by Alvaro Uribe, the then President of Colombia, in May 2009. It is the first private sector hydro project to be built in Colombia under a new government policy. Apart from implementing the project, environmental issues that are to be addressed by the Emgesa, the project developer, are compensatory afforestation, compensation to project-affected people (no indigenous people are affected) and the protection of water supplies.
Emgesa will receive, under a 20-year power contract authorized by Colombia's Comision de Regulacion de Energia y Gas (CREG), a price of US$14 per megawatt-hour for the power sold to the department. It is also intended to sell the electricity to neighbouring countries, thus boosting the national economy. The project is estimated to cost around $837 million, invested by Spanish utility Endesa
, through its Colombian subsidiary Emgesa.
, Gigante
, El Agrado, Paicol
, Tesalia
and Altamira
. However, the dam and the project's powerhouse are located within the municipality of Gigante. The existing Betania Dam is about 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) upstream. Bogota
, the capital of Columbia is 379 kilometres (235.5 mi) to the south. It is 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) to the south of Neiva
, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Gigante and 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) from Garzon
.
The project area lies in the narrow gorge section of the Magdalena River. The rock formation is of friable sandstone
s of tertiary age
. It is 1.3 kilometre (0.807784557644749 mi) upstream from the confluence of the Magdalena and Paez River
s. The contractor will provide about 48,000 million pesos to build the perimeter road that will boost tourism and commercial development southwest of the Huila Department.
Emgesa has committed to buying 7500 hectares (18,532.9 acre) of land for 17,000 million pesos to connect two forest reserves in the area of influence (Reserva Forestal de la Amazonía y la Reserva Forestal Central). There are also plans to build a viaduct
over the reservoir that will connect the municipalities of Garzon and El Agrado. The decision to build this major dam as a concrete faced rockfill dam was decided after studying several types of dams for the prevailing site conditions. The site conditions, which dictated the choice of the dam, are the narrow gorge of the river and the geological formation of highly friable sandstones at the dam site. The project area is subject to earthquakes and seismic factors have been accounted for in the design of the dam and appurtenant works. Nine earthquakes were experienced in Columbia between 1762 and 1994 with the earthquake event of 2 February 1736 with magnitude of 6.3 on Richter scale to last one on 6 June 1994 of magnitude 6.6 with epicentre of 73 km distance of the project site, which caused severe damage and fatalities. Twenty-three active unstable slope areas, with two potentially unstable land slides (mud slides) are also noted in the project area.
Construction materials involved in building the project complex include: concrete-205000 cubic metres (7,239,506.6 cu ft); surface excavation–3820000 cubic metres (134,902,024.9 cu ft); underground excavation–460000 cubic metres (16,244,746.5 cu ft); rockfill embankment–12000000 cubic metres (423,775,994.6 cu ft); and steel reinforcement–15,000 tonnes.
Power generation
The powerhouse located at the toe of the dam has two vertical axis Francis turbines each of 200MW capacity. Each is designed for a discharge of 166.53 cubic metres (5,881 cu ft)/s. The generators are of the synchronous type with a generation capacity of 225 MVA. The generation voltage is 13.8 kV. Single-phase transformers of 75 MVA capacity with a voltage relation of 13.8–230 kV are proposed. A switch yard is located adjoining the powerhouse. Power is evacuated through 230 kV transmission line of 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) length from the switch yard to Betania-San Bernardino transmission system.
A ferry and six landings are planned to tap the tourism potential of the new dam; 25,000 million pesos have been set aside for this. The reservoir will also benefit the development of fish farming.
Huila Department
Huila is one of the departments of Colombia. It is located in the southwest of the country, and its capital is Neiva.-Geography:The south of the department is located in the Colombian Massif...
of southwestern-central Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, approximately 69 kilometres (42.9 mi) south of the city of Neiva
Neiva
Neiva is the Capital of the Department of Huila. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River in south central Colombia with a population of about 378,857 inhabitants...
, on the Magdalena River
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
. It is located about 1300 metres (4,265.1 ft) upstream from the confluence of the Río Páez with the Río Magdalena. Its works were officially opened on February 25, 2011 in the presence of President Juan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón is a Colombian politician who has been the President of Colombia since 7 August 2010. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Trade, Minister of Finance, and Minister of National Defense.-Career:...
. It is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country. The project is planned to be completed over a period of 4 years, in 2015.
The project will have a powerhouse near the base of the dam with an installed capacity of 400 MW, which is expected to achieve an average energy generation of 2,216 GWh/year, with a dam that will have a live storage of 1,824 hm3 and an inundated area 8250 hectares (20,386.2 acre). The objective is to enhance the energy security and stability of the Colombian electricity supply
Electricity sector in Colombia
The electricity sector in Colombia is dominated by large hydropower generation and thermal generation . Despite the country’s large potential in new renewable energy technologies , this potential has been barely tapped...
, meeting about 8% of energy demand in Colombia with energy prospects of 1,650 GWh to 2034.
Environmental license to implement the project was granted by Colombia's Environment Ministry, which was announced by Alvaro Uribe, the then President of Colombia, in May 2009. It is the first private sector hydro project to be built in Colombia under a new government policy. Apart from implementing the project, environmental issues that are to be addressed by the Emgesa, the project developer, are compensatory afforestation, compensation to project-affected people (no indigenous people are affected) and the protection of water supplies.
Emgesa will receive, under a 20-year power contract authorized by Colombia's Comision de Regulacion de Energia y Gas (CREG), a price of US$14 per megawatt-hour for the power sold to the department. It is also intended to sell the electricity to neighbouring countries, thus boosting the national economy. The project is estimated to cost around $837 million, invested by Spanish utility Endesa
Endesa (Spain)
Endesa, S.A. is the largest electric utility company in Spain. The firm, a majority-owned subsidiary of the Italian utility company Enel, has 10 million customers in Spain, with domestic annual generation of over 97,600 GWh from nuclear, fossil-fueled, hydroelectric, and renewable resource power...
, through its Colombian subsidiary Emgesa.
Geography
The project is located in Colombia, in the Magdalena River basin formed by the central and eastern mountain ranges, to the south of department of Huila. It is bounded between the coordinates 1°30′00"N 76°35′00"W and 2°30′00"N 75°35′00"W. The administrative jurisdiction of the project covers the municipalities of GarzonGarzon
Garzon is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Popayán in the Republic of Colombia. Lying eat of Popayán, the diocese comprises the provinces of Neiva and Sur. It is about 140 miles in length and between 40 and 100 miles wide, extending from 1.5&$176; to 4&$176; north latitude and between the 75&$176;...
, Gigante
Gigante, Huila
Gigante is a town and municipality in the Huila Department, Colombia....
, El Agrado, Paicol
Paicol
Paicol is a town and municipality in the Huila Department, Colombia....
, Tesalia
Tesalia
Tesalia is a town and municipality in the Huila Department, Colombia....
and Altamira
Altamira
-Places:*Cave of Altamira, a cave in Cantabria, Spain famous for its paintings and carving*Altamira, Brazil, a city in the state of Pará*Altamira, Huila, a town and municipality in Colombia*Altamira, Puerto Plata, a town in the Dominican Republic...
. However, the dam and the project's powerhouse are located within the municipality of Gigante. The existing Betania Dam is about 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) upstream. Bogota
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, the capital of Columbia is 379 kilometres (235.5 mi) to the south. It is 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) to the south of Neiva
Neiva
Neiva is the Capital of the Department of Huila. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River in south central Colombia with a population of about 378,857 inhabitants...
, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Gigante and 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) from Garzon
Garzon
Garzon is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Popayán in the Republic of Colombia. Lying eat of Popayán, the diocese comprises the provinces of Neiva and Sur. It is about 140 miles in length and between 40 and 100 miles wide, extending from 1.5&$176; to 4&$176; north latitude and between the 75&$176;...
.
The project area lies in the narrow gorge section of the Magdalena River. The rock formation is of friable sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
s of tertiary age
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
. It is 1.3 kilometre (0.807784557644749 mi) upstream from the confluence of the Magdalena and Paez River
Páez River
The Páez River is a river of Colombia. It drains into the Caribbean Sea via the Magdalena River.-References:*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
s. The contractor will provide about 48,000 million pesos to build the perimeter road that will boost tourism and commercial development southwest of the Huila Department.
Project description
The proposed hydroelectric project, a run-of-river reservoir scheme, consists of a 151 metres (495.4 ft) high concrete-faced rock fill dam (CFRD) on the Magdalena River. The length of the dam is 632 metres (2,073.5 ft). There is also an auxiliary dam (an auxiliary dike) of 66 metres (216.5 ft) height and 390 metres (1,279.5 ft) crest length. The full reservoir level in the dam is 720 metres (2,362.2 ft) above sea level (asl) and foundation level is 573 metres (1,879.9 ft) asl. The reservoir created by the dam has an area of 8250 hectares (20,386.2 acre) and stretches over a length of 55 kilometres (34.2 mi), with an average width of 1.4 kilometre (0.869921831309729 mi). Other features of the project include a diversion tunnel to facilitate construction of the dam (to divert river flows away from the working area of the dam) which is 489 metres (1,604.3 ft) long, a spillway structure to route the design flood discharge, two intake structures (spaced at 30 metres (98.4 ft)) to divert water through two penstock lines (480.87 metres (1,577.7 ft) length) to the powerhouse located on the downstream.Emgesa has committed to buying 7500 hectares (18,532.9 acre) of land for 17,000 million pesos to connect two forest reserves in the area of influence (Reserva Forestal de la Amazonía y la Reserva Forestal Central). There are also plans to build a viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
over the reservoir that will connect the municipalities of Garzon and El Agrado. The decision to build this major dam as a concrete faced rockfill dam was decided after studying several types of dams for the prevailing site conditions. The site conditions, which dictated the choice of the dam, are the narrow gorge of the river and the geological formation of highly friable sandstones at the dam site. The project area is subject to earthquakes and seismic factors have been accounted for in the design of the dam and appurtenant works. Nine earthquakes were experienced in Columbia between 1762 and 1994 with the earthquake event of 2 February 1736 with magnitude of 6.3 on Richter scale to last one on 6 June 1994 of magnitude 6.6 with epicentre of 73 km distance of the project site, which caused severe damage and fatalities. Twenty-three active unstable slope areas, with two potentially unstable land slides (mud slides) are also noted in the project area.
Construction materials involved in building the project complex include: concrete-205000 cubic metres (7,239,506.6 cu ft); surface excavation–3820000 cubic metres (134,902,024.9 cu ft); underground excavation–460000 cubic metres (16,244,746.5 cu ft); rockfill embankment–12000000 cubic metres (423,775,994.6 cu ft); and steel reinforcement–15,000 tonnes.
Power generation
The powerhouse located at the toe of the dam has two vertical axis Francis turbines each of 200MW capacity. Each is designed for a discharge of 166.53 cubic metres (5,881 cu ft)/s. The generators are of the synchronous type with a generation capacity of 225 MVA. The generation voltage is 13.8 kV. Single-phase transformers of 75 MVA capacity with a voltage relation of 13.8–230 kV are proposed. A switch yard is located adjoining the powerhouse. Power is evacuated through 230 kV transmission line of 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) length from the switch yard to Betania-San Bernardino transmission system.
Ecological impacts
The ecological and social impacts have been examined in great details and remedial actions have been planned for all the identified impacts. The major impacts are submergence of land (both agricultural and forest areas), displacement of people coming under submergence, submergence of a bridge over the Yaguilga River, submergence of the church of San José de Belén, the submergence of cocoa orchards of Río Loro, 78 archaeological sites between two archaeological regions, effect on fisheries, terrestrial fauna due to submergence and submergence of infrastructure works.Mitigation measures
The project will require evicting 467 families and flooding 8250 hectares (20,386.2 acre) of prime land in this region. The developer has to ensure that the project affected people have the same or better quality of life in the new areas where they would be resettled with "all public services, health coverage and education, restoration of economic activity and level income equal or greater than the current conditions". Irrigation facilities shall be provided to the resettled families for 5200 ha with facilities for organic production as a measure for the conversion of soil and natural animal management; reforestation in a new land area acquired by the developer shall cover 11079.6 ha to compensate for the loss of 3034ha due to submergence, which shall also ensure the restoration of tropical dry forest for 5 years; shift the church of San José de Belén and rebuild at the new location; removal all vegetation in the submergence area before reservoir filling to prevent decomposition of vegetation and growth of aquatic macrophytes; create an information base on the archaeological sites coming under submergence with due research; repopulate migratory species of fish in the upstream areas of the river and also establish two limnigraph stations; create suitable dumping areas to dispose excavated material which are not used on the project; establish alternate roads, bridges, water supply works and other infrastructure facilities that would be submerged; and rehabilitate of fauna coming under submergence areas by measures such as chasing, capturing and relocation of the fauna (small, medium and large mammals, serpents and birds) and also establish two veterinary units to treat wounded animals.A ferry and six landings are planned to tap the tourism potential of the new dam; 25,000 million pesos have been set aside for this. The reservoir will also benefit the development of fish farming.