The Caruachi Dam is a concrete
gravity dam on the
Caroní River in
Bolivar state,
Venezuela. It supports a
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
power facility with a capacity. It is about downstream from the
Guri Dam belonging to the Central Hidroeléctrica Simón Bolívar, and about from where the Caroni and
Orinoco
The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...
rivers meet at
Ciudad Guayana
Ciudad Guayana () (in English Guayana City) is a city in Bolívar State (Venezuela), Bolívar State, Venezuela. It stretches 40 kilometers along the south bank of the Orinoco, Orinoco river, at the point where it is joined by its main tributary ...
.
[Official site of EDELCA and the Caruachi Project](_blank)
, published 2007, accessed 2007-11-23
The dam
The first of the
Kaplan turbine-generators
General Electric supplied for the project began commercial operation in April 2003; the 12th and final unit entered service on February 28, 2006,
and entered into formal/fully commercial operation on 31 March 2006, when the project was officially inaugurated.
The total installed capacity is 2,160 MW and the power plant will produce about 12
TW·h
A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...
annually.
This project is formed jointly with the
Central Hidroeléctrica Simón Bolívar in Guri,
Antonio José de Sucre in Macagua and
Manuel Piar in Tocoma (under construction), the development of Lower
Caroní River hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
resources and one of the world's largest hydro projects now in construction, that, when completed, EDELCA (Electrificación del Caroní CA) claims will save Venezuela the equivalent of 750,000 barrels of oil per day, compared to 300,000 currently.
Design and construction
The contract for the design, supply and installation of the main electro-mechanical equipment was awarded to a consortium of
Kvaerner of Norway,
GE Energy of the USA, and Elin Transformatoren GmbH of Austria. Major work began on the project in 1998.
Following GE's acquisition of Kvaerner's hydro business in 1999, over 90% of the Caruachi contract was carried out by GE Hydro, including all aspects of the design, supply and installation of the turbines, generators, governors, exciters and cranes. A total of 12
Kaplan Kaplan may refer to:
Places
* Kapłań, Poland
* Kaplan, Louisiana, U.S.
* Kaplan Medical Center, a hospital in Rehovot, Israel
* Kaplan Street, in Tel Aviv, Israel
* Mount Kaplan, Antarctica
* Kaplan Arena, at the College of William & Mary in W ...
turbine-generator units, each capable of a power output of 180 MW, were supplied to the project.
of Switzerland won three contracts to provide the power transmission system for the project. A 400
kV substation and four related 400 kV
transmission lines connect the plant with the country's transmission network.
Alstom Power was awarded the contract for distributed control system and SCADA, and small electrical auxiliaries like
UPS equipments and DC distribution boards.
The original GE Hydro and Elin contracts were, through several mergers and acquisitions, transferred to the 2005-created
Andritz Hydro of Austria. While the original Alstom contract was in 2014 inherited by a new
GE Renewable Energy entity.
Features
A main concrete
gravity dam
A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...
has a maximum height of from its foundations, with an integrated intake structure and powerhouse.
A 900 m right-abutment rockfill closure dam has a concrete slab face and a maximum height of 50 m, and a 4,200 m left-abutment earth and rockfill closure dam has a maximum height of 45 m.
A
spillway with nine spans and radial surface gates has an aggregate flow capacity.
A powerhouse is integrated with the main dam with space for 12 generating units (360 m) and an assembly bay of .
Two transition dams have a intermediate buttress between the powerhouse and spillway. The reservoir has a normal operating elevation of above sea level.
See also
*
List of conventional hydroelectric power stations
References
External links
Official site of ''EDELCA'' and the Caruachi Project''Caruachi Hydroelectric Power Plant, Venezuela'' from the Web Site of the Power Industry
{{Caroní River dams
Dams completed in 2006
Energy infrastructure completed in 2006
Dams in Venezuela
Hydroelectric power stations in Venezuela
Gravity dams
Buildings and structures in Bolívar (state)