Caruachi Dam

The Caruachi Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Caroní River in Bolivar state, Venezuela. It supports a hydroelectric 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 rivers meet at Ciudad Guayana.Official site of EDELCA and the Caruachi Project
, 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 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 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 turbine-generator units, each capable of a power output of 180 MW, were supplied to the project.

ABB 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 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)