Mequinenza Dam ( es, Presa de Mequinenza, links=no) is a
concrete gravity dam
A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...
in the province of
Zaragoza,
Spain. It impounds the
Ebro creating a large reservoir, which is called ''Mar de Aragón''.
About 35 km downstream of Mequinenza dam is
Ribarroja dam.
''Empresa Nacional Hidroeléctrica del Ribagorzana S.A.'' (
ENHER ENHER, the acronym for ''Empresa Nacional Hidroeléctrica del Ribagorzana'' (''National Hydroelectric Company of the Ribagorçana''), was a Spanish company, based in Barcelona, dedicated to the generation and distribution of electrical energy. Its ...
) was mandated in 1955
by ''
Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI)'' to build two dams on the Ebro near
Mequinenza and
Ribarroja. Work on Mequinenza dam started in 1957.
The filling of the reservoir began in December 1965.
The power plant was operational in 1964
(1966
).
ENHER ENHER, the acronym for ''Empresa Nacional Hidroeléctrica del Ribagorzana'' (''National Hydroelectric Company of the Ribagorçana''), was a Spanish company, based in Barcelona, dedicated to the generation and distribution of electrical energy. Its ...
was acquired by
Endesa in 1999.
Dam
Mequinenza Dam is a 79 m tall (height above foundation) and 461 m long gravity dam with a crest altitude of 124 m. The volume of the dam is 1,100,000 m³. The dam features a
spillway with 6 gates over the dam (maximum discharge 11,000 m³/s) and one bottom outlet (maximum discharge 160 m³/s).
Reservoir
At full reservoir level of 121
m.a.s.l. the reservoir has a surface area of 75.4 km², a total capacity of 1.53 billion m³ and a length of almost 110
km. The average width of the reservoir is about 600 m, its maximum (average) depth is 62 (20) m.
Power plant
The power plant contains 4
Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency.
The proces ...
-generators. The initial nameplate capacity was 81 MW each. The turbines, generators and transformers were refurbished from 2007 until 2010 raising the capacity of the new machines to 96 MW each.
Maximum flow is 150 m³/s per turbine.
See also
*
List of power stations in Spain
*
List of dams and reservoirs in Spain
External links
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mequinenza Dam
Dams in Spain
Hydroelectric power stations in Spain
Gravity dams
Dams completed in 1964
Energy infrastructure completed in 1964
1964 establishments in Spain
Buildings and structures in the Province of Zaragoza