Las Vacas Dam
Dam in Chinautla, Guatemala
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Las Vacas Dam (Spanish: Planta Hidroeléctrica Río Las Vacas) is a reinforced concrete gravity dam and power plant spanning the Las Vacas River near the village of San Antonio Las Flores in the municipality Chinautla, Guatemala.
| Las Vacas Dam | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Las Vacas Dam | |
| Official name | Planta Hidroeléctrica Río Las Vacas (HRLV) |
| Location | Chinautla (Guatemala) |
| Coordinates | 14°45′40″N 90°30′11″W |
| Construction began | 1998 |
| Opening date | May 2002 May 2003 - second fase |
| Operators | Hidroelectrica Rio Las Vacas, S.A |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Las Vacas River |
| Height | 17 m |
| Length | 136 m |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 258,969 m³ |
The hydroelectric power plant is designed as a peaking plant and the water stored in its 258,969 m³ reservoir is used to generate electricity during hours of peak demand. It has 5 Pelton turbines with a total installed capacity of 45 MWe which generate an average of 120 GWh of electricity per year.[1][2]
The plant includes facilities for collecting and recycling plastic waste material found in the reservoir.[3][4]
The Las Vacas project was built by a conglomerate of 4 private sector companies: Cementos Progreso, Fabrigas, Comegsa, and Iberdrola, which are partners in Hidroeléctrica Río Las Vacas, S.A.[1]
History
In January 2003, the operators of the dam were found to be responsible for a major industrial waste spill into the Las Vacas River, which subsequently also polluted the Motagua River, leading to the temporary closure of the hydroelectric power station.[5]
