| Las Vacas Hydroelectric Dam | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Planta Hidroeléctrica Río Las Vacas (HRLV) |
| Location | Chinautla (Guatemala) |
| Construction began | 1998 |
| Opening date | May 2002 May 2003 - second fase |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 17 m |
| Length | 136 m |
| Impounds | Las Vacas River |
| Reservoir | |
| Capacity | 258,969 m³ |
| Bridge | |
| Toll | N/A |
The Las Vacas Hydroelectric 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.
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]