Ituango Dam

The Ituango Dam, also referred to as the Pescadero-Ituango Dam or Hidroituango, is an embankment dam currently under construction on the Cauca River near Ituango in Antioquia Department, Colombia. The primary purpose of the project is hydroelectric power generation, and its power plant will have an installed capacity will have a capacity of , of which will be active (or "useful") capacity. The reservoir will be long and cover an area of . To maintain reservoir levels, the dam will have a spillway controlled by four radial gates with a design flow of . The dam's power plant will have a nominal hydraulic head of and contain eight Francis turbine-generators.

Diversion tunnel blockage

Three tunnels were constructed to divert the Cauca River around the construction site. Two were eventually sealed during construction, leaving a third to divert the river. Between 28 April and 7 May 2018, three landslides blocked the tunnel, leading the reservoir to fill. Engineers attempted to open the two closed tunnels with explosives but were unsuccessful. On 10 May, when the reservoir reached the power-station intake, engineers began releasing water through the unfinished powerhouse to prevent a breach of the dam. On 12 May one of the previously sealed tunnels naturally reopened, which suddenly increased downstream flows by three times the average. This promoted evacuations downstream, eventually totaling around 25,000.

On May 16 silt build-up in a portion of the power house, the only means to drain the reservoir, led to water escaping into a transit gallery used by construction vehicles. The water eventually poured onto the downstream face of the dam, eroding the roadway and a portion of the riprap. Subsequently, EPM announced that a risk of collapse existed, and workers continued to fill the dam to its design height in hopes that the spillway could be used to prevent an over-topping of the dam. Heavy rainfall was expected in the Cauca River basin through the end of May.

On May 19 the dam works reached an elevation of , below the cofferdam's target level. On May 25 Dr Ordoñez issued a letter expressing his panic about the situation because "Ituango project is dead and there is no control over it, so the most natural thing is to expect it to fail; we are sure that it is easier to fail than not to fail, and we are truly in a panic".

Environmental impact

Some sources argue that the dam construction has severe ecological consequences, and there are displaced families, environmentalists, youth groups, and concerned locals that oppose the project. Other publications argue that the project will benefit millions through extra revenue towards social and infrastructure programs.

In February 2019, the Project came under increased pressure from local and national governmental regulatory agencies because of the closure of the river flow and the environmental and economic impact downstream. Moreover, studies from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia showed that the failure of the dam is likely unless an emergency plan was adopted. The safety of the downstream communities was highlighted as critical. By November 2022, drills evacuated 5,000 people to prepare for the operation of the dam.

See also

*List of power stations in Colombia

References

External links

*{{Commonscat-inline, Hidroituango

Dams in Colombia
Hydroelectric power stations in Colombia
Dams under construction
Earth-filled dams
Buildings and structures in Antioquia Department