Mequinenza Dam ( es, Presa de Mequinenza, links=no) is a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

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. ...

in the province of

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It impounds the

Ebro , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza , map = SpainEbroBasin.png , map_size = , map_caption = The Ebro ...

creating a large reservoir, which is called ''Mar de Aragón''. About 35 km downstream of Mequinenza dam is Ribarroja dam. ''Empresa Nacional Hidroeléctrica del Ribagorzana S.A.'' (

ENHER ENHER, the acronym for ''Empresa Nacional Hidroeléctrica del Ribagorzana'' (''National Hydroelectric Company of the Ribagorçana''), was a Spanish company, based in Barcelona, dedicated to the generation and distribution of electrical energy. Its ...

) was mandated in 1955 by '' Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI)'' to build two dams on the Ebro near Mequinenza and Ribarroja. Work on Mequinenza dam started in 1957. The filling of the reservoir began in December 1965. The power plant was operational in 1964 (1966).

was acquired by Endesa in 1999.

Dam

Mequinenza Dam is a 79 m tall (height above foundation) and 461 m long gravity dam with a crest altitude of 124 m. The volume of the dam is 1,100,000 m³. The dam features a spillway with 6 gates over the dam (maximum discharge 11,000 m³/s) and one bottom outlet (maximum discharge 160 m³/s).

Reservoir

At full reservoir level of 121

m.a.s.l. Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The com ...

the reservoir has a surface area of 75.4 km², a total capacity of 1.53 billion m³ and a length of almost 110 km. The average width of the reservoir is about 600 m, its maximum (average) depth is 62 (20) m.

Power plant

The power plant contains 4

Francis turbine The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. The proces ...

-generators. The initial nameplate capacity was 81 MW each. The turbines, generators and transformers were refurbished from 2007 until 2010 raising the capacity of the new machines to 96 MW each. Maximum flow is 150 m³/s per turbine.

External links

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mequinenza Dam Dams in Spain Hydroelectric power stations in Spain Gravity dams Dams completed in 1964 Energy infrastructure completed in 1964 1964 establishments in Spain Buildings and structures in the Province of Zaragoza

Dam

Reservoir

Power plant

See also

External links

References