Reventazón Dam

Dam in Siquirres, Limón Province

10°3′56.05″N 83°34′48.79″W / 10.0655694°N 83.5802194°W / 10.0655694; -83.5802194PurposePowerConstruction began2009Opening date16 September 2016Owner(s)Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE)Dam and spillwaysType of damEmbankment, concrete-face rock-fillImpoundsReventazón RiverHeight130 m (430 ft)Length527 m (1,729 ft)Dam volume9,000,000 m³ (12,000,000 cu yd)ReservoirTotal capacity118,000,000 m³ (96,000 acre⋅ft)Surface area7 km² (2.7 sq mi)Maximum length8 km (5.0 mi)Reventazón Hydropower PlantCoordinates10°4′59.82″N 83°33′40.95″W / 10.0832833°N 83.5613750°W / 10.0832833; -83.5613750Commission date2016TypeConventional, diversionTurbines4 × 74 MW Francis-type^[1]Installed capacity305.5 MW

The Reventazón Dam is a concrete-face rock-fill dam on the Reventazón River about 8 km (5.0 mi) southwest of Siquirres in Limón Province, Costa Rica. It was inaugurated on 16 September 2016,^[2] and its primary purpose is the production of hydroelectric power. The US$1.4 billion project and largest power station in the country has an installed capacity of 305.5 MW and is expected to provide power for 525,000 homes.^[3]^[4]^[5] Construction on the dam began in 2009. At a height of 130 metres (430 ft) and with a structural volume of 9,000,000 m³ (12,000,000 cu yd), it is the largest dam in Central America. To produce electricity, water from the reservoir is diverted about 3 km (1.9 mi) to the northeast where it reaches the power station along the Reventazón River.^[6] Due to its environmental features, like offset habitats and migration corridors for jaguars and many other species, the project could be a model for other future hydroelectric power plants.^[7]

References

^ "Reventazón".
^ "View of the hydroelectric dam on the Reventazon River". Ezequiel Becerra. AFP. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
^ "Costa Rica's president inaugurates Central America's largest hydropower plant". China.org.cn. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
^ "Reventazón Hydropower Project". Inter-America Development Bank. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
^ "Reventazón - A new butterfly valve for the penstock of the largest hydropower project in Costa Rica". Andritz. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
^ "Project of the Month" (in Spanish). Pedregal. Retrieved 20 December 2014.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Joerg Hartmann; David Harrison; Je Opperman; Roger Gill (18 November 2013). The Next Frontier of Hydropower Sustainability: Planning at the System Scale (PDF) (Report). 16pp. Retrieved 17 September 2016.