Malpaso Dam
| Malpaso Dam | |
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view of the reservoir
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 Location of Malpaso Dam in Mexico
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| Official name | Represa de Malpaso |
| Country | Mexico |
| Location | Tecpatán, Chiapas |
| Coordinates | 17°10′43″N 93°35′54″W / 17.17861°N 93.59833°WCoordinates: 17°10′43″N 93°35′54″W / 17.17861°N 93.59833°W |
| Status | In use |
| Construction began | 1958 |
| Opening date | 1966 |
| Owner(s) | Comisión Federal de Electricidad |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment |
| Impounds | Grijalva River |
| Height | 137.5 m (451 ft) |
| Length | 480 m (1,575 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 10,596,000,000 m3 (8,590,317 acre·ft) |
| Active capacity | 9,600,000,000 m3 (7,782,847 acre·ft) |
| Surface area | 381 km2 (147 sq mi) |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | 1969-1977 |
| Turbines | 6 x 180 MW Francis-type |
| Installed capacity | 1,080 MW |
The Malpaso Dam, officially known as the Nezahualcóyotl Dam, is located in the Centro region of Chiapas, Mexico near the border with Tabasco and Veracruz. It was the first of several major dams built on the Grijalva River to generate hydroelectric energy and has the second largest reservoir in Mexico, after the Belisario Dominguez Dam. Construction of the dam occurred in the 1960s and flooded not only the riverbed but also hectares of rainforest and farmland, various towns and villages and archeological sites. These include the former town of Quechula, whose 16th century Dominican church will appear when water is at low levels, and the archeological site of San Isidro which contains one of only two known double Mesoamerican ball courts. Commissioning of the dam's 1,080 MW power station began in 1969 and ended in 1977. The reservoir and later construction of a federal highway has spurred ecotourism in the area.
Malpaso is one of several on the Grijalva River in Chiapas, along with the Chicoasén, Peñitas, and Belisario Dominguez (La Angostura) . The Nezahualcoyotl is the second largest reservoir in Mexico after the Belisario Dominguez, covering an area of 995,000 hectares and with a maximum storage capacity of 9,750 million meters cubed. The dam mostly exists to power one of the largest hydroelectric complexes in Mexico. It is managed by the Comité Técnico de Operación de Obras Hidráulicas which is made up of the Comisión Federal de Electricidad, Conagua and the Engineering Institute of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) among others.
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