The Punchiná Dam is an
embankment dam
An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface ...
on the
Guatapé River
The Guatapé is a river in Antioquia Department, Colombia and a tributary of the Samaná Norte River
The Samaná Norte is a river in Antioquia Department, Colombia and a tributary of the Magdalena River
The Magdalena River (, ; less commonly ) i ...
east of
San Carlos in
Antioquia Department
Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part o ...
,
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. The dam creates Punchiná Reservoir, which is part of the San Carlos Hydroelectric Power Plant. The power plant was completed in two stages; the first was completed in 1984 and the second in 1987. It is the largest power station in Colombia.
Background
The project was initiated by
Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. in 1973 and appraised in 1978. In May 1978, a
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
loan was approved to help fund the dam and both stages of the power plant. Construction began in 1979, the dam was completed in 1983 and the last generator of stage one was operational in 1984. Stage two's final generator was operational in December 1987. The commissioning of stage two was originally slated for 1984 and stage one for 1983 but was delayed due to financial problems and redesigns. The total cost of stage one was US$443.7 million and stage two US$166.3 million.
Design and operation
The Punchiná Dam is a tall and long embankment-type dam with of fill and a crest elevation of .
Punchiná Reservoir
The
reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
created by the dam has a capacity of , of which is active capacity. The surface area of the reservoir is .
San Carlos Hydroelectric Power Plant
Initiating the flow of water towards the power station are two tall
intake tower
An intake tower or outlet tower is a vertical tubular structure with one or more openings used for capturing water from reservoirs and conveying it further to a hydroelectric or water-treatment plant.
Unlike spillways, intake towers are intended ...
s behind the dam in the reservoir. Each tower provides water to a respective stage of the power plant via tunnels. The two tunnels are each about long and to protect against
water hammer
Hydraulic shock ( colloquial: water hammer; fluid hammer) is a pressure surge or wave caused when a fluid in motion is forced to stop or change direction suddenly: a momentum change. It is usually observed in a liquid but gases can also be aff ...
, each tunnel is equipped with a
surge tank
Surge means a sudden transient rush or flood, and may refer to:
Science
* Storm surge, the onshore flow of water associated with a low-pressure weather system
* Surge (glacier), a short-lived event where a glacier can move up to velocities 100 t ...
. The
underground power house is below the surface, long, wide and high. Adjacent to the power house is another cavern that holds the
transformer
In electrical engineering, a transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple Electrical network, circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces ...
s and is of similar dimensions. Once the water reaches the power house, each tunnel supplies the four
Pelton turbines of its respective stage. Once the water leaves the turbines, each stage releases it into their own long tailrace tunnel where the water is discharged into the
Samaná Norte River
The Samaná Norte is a river in Antioquia Department, Colombia and a tributary of the Magdalena River
The Magdalena River (, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It tak ...
. The tunnels have a combined maximum discharge of .
See also
*
List of power stations in Colombia
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Punchina Dam
Dams completed in 1984
Dams in Colombia
Earth-filled dams
Buildings and structures in Antioquia Department
Underground power stations