Macagua Dam
| Macagua Dam | |
|---|---|
 Macagua Dam (bottom left) and locale | |
.svg.png)  | |
| Official name | Hidroeléctrica Antonio José de Sucre |
| Country | Venezuela |
| Location | Ciudad Guayana in Bolívar State |
| Coordinates | 08°18′14″N 62°40′05″W / 8.30389°N 62.66806°WCoordinates: 08°18′14″N 62°40′05″W / 8.30389°N 62.66806°W |
| Construction began | 1956 |
| Opening date | 1961 |
| Owner(s) | CVG Electrificacion del Caroni CA |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Concrete gravity/embankment |
| Impounds | Caroní River |
| Length | 3,537 m (11,604 ft) |
| Height | 69 m (226 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Macagua Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 363,000,000 m3 (294,289 acre·ft) |
| Surface area | 47.4 km2 (18 sq mi) |
| Power station | |
| Commission date |
Macagua I: 1961 Macagua II/III:1996 |
| Turbines |
20 Macagua I: 1x 79,5 MW Francis turbine, 5 x 64 MW Francis turbines Macagua II: 12 x 216 MW Francis turbines Macagua III: 2 x 88 MW Kaplan turbines |
| Installed capacity | 3,167.5 MW |
| Annual generation | 15,200 GWh |
The Macagua Dam, officially known as Antonio José de Sucre, is an embankment dam with concrete gravity sections on the Caroní River in Ciudad Guayana, Bolívar State, Venezuela. It is 10 km (6 mi)upstream from the confluence of the Caroni and Orinoco Rivers, 81 km (50 mi) downstream of the Guri Dam and 22 km (14 mi) downstream of the Caruachi Dam. The dam's main purpose is hydroelectric power generation and it was later named after Antonio José de Sucre.
Dam and power plants
The Macagua Dam is a 69 m (226 ft) tall and 3,537 m (11,604 ft) long embankment dam with concrete gravity sections for each of the three different power stations.[1] Macagua I 8°18′02″N 62°39′52″W / 8.30056°N 62.66444°W was constructed from 1956 to 1961 and it contains 6 x 64 MW Francis turbine-generators for an installed capacity of 384 MW. Macagua II 8°18′14″N 62°40′04″W / 8.30389°N 62.66778°W contains 12 x 216 MW Francis turbine-generators for an installed capacity of 2,592. Finally, Macagua III 8°18′09″N 62°40′46″W / 8.30250°N 62.67944°W contains 2 x 88 MW Kaplan turbine-generators for an installed capacity of 176 MW. All together, the generation capacity is 3,152 MW. Both Macagua II and III were operational in 1996 and inaugurated in January 1997.[2] Currently, Macagua I is undergoing a refurbishment in order to increase the capacity of each generator from 64 MW to 79.5. The first generator was complete in 2010, the second is expected to be completed in 2011 and another each year thereafter.[3][4]
See also
- Guri Dam - upstream of dam
- Caruachi Dam - upstream of dam
References
- ↑ "Dams - Macagua II" (in Spanish). Covenpre VENCOLD. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ↑ "Hydroelectric Antonio José de Sucre in Macagua" (in Spanish). Electrification del Caroni CA. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ↑ "Ongoing Projects - Rehabilitation of Hydroelectric Powerhouse Antonio José de Sucre in Macagua" (in Spanish). Electrification del Caroni CA. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ↑ "Refurbishment and rehabilitation of Macagua I moving forward". IMPSA. 2010-10-28. Retrieved 13 January 2011.