Cerros Colorados Complex

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Cerros Colorados is a complex of dams and hydropower plants on the lower Río Neuquén in Argentina's Neuquén province in the region Comahue in northwestern Patagonia. Cerros Colorados is itself a part of a larger grouping of dams, known as El- Chocón - Cerros Colorados - complex and also the dam of El Chocón includes with his waterworks. These are further up the river Limay.

Overview

Cerros Colorados consists of four Absperrbauwerken ( Portezuelo Grande, Loma de la Lata, Planicie Banderita and El Chañar ) and uses two deep natural sinks ( depression), "the Los Barreales " and " Mari Menuco " hot. These two together are the reservoirs of Cerros Colorados; they lie next to the natural course of Neuquén.

With the Portezuelo Grande lock the Neuquén is first dammed. The water is diverted into the Los Barreales Lake. This water can be taken for irrigation and for drinking and industrial water supply. The water flows through the storage building " Loma de la Lata " on to the dam " Mari Menuco ". The water level in the Mari - Menuco dam is 69 m higher than the river, the water reaches there again at its outlet at " Planicie Banderita ". This difference in height is used in Planicie - Banderita hydroelectric power plant to generate electricity. This has two vertical Francis turbines with Siemens generators, each with 243 MW capacity ( other numbers are given ) and annually produces 1512 GWh of electricity, which is fed via 500 kV lines in the national grid.

Another small storage structure called " El Chañar " is located about 10 km below Planicie Banderita to regulate the Neuquén there again.

The construction work was started in 1969. The first turbine was put into operation in 1978. On 31 October 1980, the complex was officially put into operation. He was privatized in 1993 and given the concession of the company Hidroeléctrica Cerros Colorados SA. 2000 Cerros Colorados was purchased with the thermal power plant Alto Valle of Duke Energy.

Data of the dam Los Barreales

  • The lake surface is at 421 meters above sea level.
  • The water level can vary by 7 m.
  • The surface is 413.1 square kilometers (about 70 percent of Lake Geneva )
  • The average depth is 67 m.
  • The maximum depth is 120 m.
  • The stored water volume of 27.7 billion cubic meters (according to other sources, 25.1 or 28.1 billion m³).
  • The shore is 214.5 km long.
  • The average residence time of the water is 2.4 years.
  • The catchment area of ​​the river Neuquén at the barrier Portezuelo Grande is about 20,000 km ².
  • The Neuquén River here has an average discharge of 360 m³ / s

Both reservoirs together to have a storage space of 43 or even 48 billion m³ according to different sources. - The Absperrbauwerke are dams, partly combined with gravity dams.

Limay River Dam#Gravity dams
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