San Carlos Hydroelectric Power Plant

Location: Guatapé River, Antioquia department, Colombia.

Type: Hydroelectric

Status: Operational

Year of establishment: First stage in 1984 and second stage in 1987.

Installed Capacity: 1240 MW

Project Description

San Carlos Hydroelectric Power Plant has an installed capacity of 1240 MW divided in 8 Pelton type turbines of 155 MW each rotating at 300 rpm. The adjacent embankment, earth-fill dam is called Punchiná with 70 meters high and 800 meters long allowing a capacity of 61.67 Mm3 (53.21 Mm3 useful dam). It has two distinctive concrete intake towers of 54 meters high each.

Purpose/Application

This plant is making use of a powerful resource given by Colombia’s environmental characteristics. Specially in the eastern part of Antioquia where a succession of plants with the same technology have been built so far.

Unique Aspect

Biggest power plant in Colombia. Only by 2022 San Carlos will lose this title as for the entry into operation of Hidroituango, a plant with same technology but an installed capacity of 2400 MW.