| Malpaso Dam | |
|---|---|
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| Official name | Represa de Malpaso |
| Country | Mexico |
| Location | Tecpatán, Chiapas |
| Coordinates | |
| Status | In use |
| Construction began | 1958 |
| Opening date | 1966 |
| Owner(s) | Comisión Federal de Electricidad |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment |
| Height | 137.5 m (451 ft) |
| Length | 480 m (1,575 ft) |
| Impounds | Grijalva River |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | 1969-1977 |
| Turbines | 6 x 180 MW Francis-type |
| Installed capacity | 1,080 |
The Malpaso Dam (also known as Nezahualcoyotl and Raudales Malpaso) is an embankment dam on the Grijalva River near Tecpatán in Chiapas, Mexico. The dam supports a hydroelectric power station containing 6 x 180 MW Francis turbine-generators for a total installed capacity of 1,080 MW. The dam is 137.5 m (451 ft) tall and 480 m (1,575 ft) in length. It was the first major dam on the Grijalva River.
Initial construction on the dam sire began in 1958.[1] In 1970, the silting basin was severely damaged during a flood 20% less than the design capacity. Pressure fluctuations caused the stone slabs to detach from their anchor.[2] In 2008, Comisión Federal de Electricidad, the dam's owner, shut down operations at the dam to complete the second stage on a canal project designed to alleviate storage in the dam's reservoir. The canal's construction occurred in three stages and it is was dug through a mud slide in between the dam and the Peñitas Dam downstream. At the end of the third stage, the canal will be able to pass 3,500 m3/s (123,601 cu ft/s).[3]