The Infiernillo Dam also known as Adolfo Lopez Mateos

Adolfo López Mateos

Adolfo López Mateos was a Mexican politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party who served as President of Mexico from 1958 to 1964...

 Dam, is an embankment dam

Embankment dam

An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...

 on the Balsas River

Balsas River

The Balsas River is a major river of south-central Mexico. The basin flows through the states of Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero, and Mexico. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean at Mangrove Point, adjacent to the city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán...

 near La Unión

La Unión, Guerrero

La Unión is a city and seat of the municipality of La Unión de Isidoro Montes de Oca, in the state of Guerrero, south-western Mexico. In 2005 its population was 3,079....

, Guerrero

Guerrero

Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. The dam supports a hydroelectric power station containing six turbine-generators for a total installed capacity of 1,120 MW. The dam is 149 m (489 ft) high, 344 m (1,129 ft) long and is owned by Comisión Federal de Electricidad

Comisión Federal de Electricidad

The Comisión Federal de Electricidad is the Mexican state-owned electric widely known as CFE. It is the dominant electric company and the second most powerful state-owned company in Mexico after Pemex. The Mexican constitution states that the government is responsible for the control and...

. Its first generator was operational on January 25, 1965.

Placement of the dam embankment began in August 1962, and on December 7, 1963, the dam was topped off. The diversion tunnels were closed and the reservoir began to fill on June 15, 1964.