Caruachi Dam
| Caruachi Dam | |
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 Location of Caruachi Dam in Venezuela
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| Location | Bolívar, Venezuela |
| Coordinates | 08°09′36″N 62°47′55″W / 8.16000°N 62.79861°WCoordinates: 08°09′36″N 62°47′55″W / 8.16000°N 62.79861°W |
| Construction began | 1998 |
| Opening date | 31 March 2006 |
| Construction cost | US$ 2.1 billion |
| Owner(s) | CVG Electrification del Caroni CA |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Concrete gravity dam/embankment |
| Impounds | Caroni River |
| Height | 55 m (180 ft) |
| Length | 5,728 m (18,793 ft) |
| Dam volume | 11,000,000 m3 (390,000,000 cu ft) |
| Spillway type | Service, gate-controlled |
| Spillway capacity | 30,000 m3/s (1,100,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Caruachi Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 3,520,000,000 m3 (2,850,000 acre·ft) |
| Surface area | 238 km2 (92 sq mi) |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | 2003-2010 |
| Turbines | 12 × 180 MW (240,000 hp) Kaplan-type |
| Installed capacity | 2,160 MW (2,900,000 hp) |
| Annual generation | 12,000 GWh (43,000 TJ) |
The Caruachi Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Caroní River in Bolivar state, Venezuela. The dam supports a hydroelectric power facility with a 2,160 megawatts (2,900,000 hp) capacity. The facility is located about 59 kilometres (37 mi) downstream from the Guri Dam belonging to the "Central Hidroeléctrica Simón Bolívar" and about 35 kilometres (22 mi) from where the Caroni and Orinoco rivers meet at Ciudad Guayana.
The first of the 180-megawatt (240,000 hp) 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 (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.
The contract for the design, supply and installation of the main electro-mechanical equipment was awarded to a consortium of Kvaerner of Norway (Kvaerner's hydro interests since acquired by General Electric (GE)), GE Energy of America and Elin Transormatoren GmbH of Austria. Major work began on the project in 1998.
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Wikipedia