Las Vacas Hydroelectric Dam
Encyclopedia
The Las Vacas Hydroelectric Dam (Spanish: Planta Hidroeléctrica Río Las Vacas) is a reinforced concrete
gravity dam and power plant spanning the Las Vacas River
near the village of San Antonio Las Flores in the municipality Chinautla
, Guatemala
.
The hydroelectric power plant is designed as a peaking plant and the water stored in its 258,969 m³ reservoir is used to generate electricity during hours of peak demand
. It has 5 Pelton turbines with a total installed capacity of 45 MWe
which generate an average of 120 GWh of electricity per year.
The plant includes facilities for collecting and recycling plastic waste material found in the reservoir.
The Las Vacas project was built by a conglomerate of 4 private sector companies: Cementos Progreso, Fabrigas, Comegsa, and Iberdrola
, which are partners in Hidroeléctrica Río Las Vacas, S.A.
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
gravity dam and power plant spanning the Las Vacas River
Las Vacas River
The Las Vacas River is a river in Guatemala. It begins in the mountains in the eastern outskirts of Guatemala City and runs in a north-easterly direction to join the Motagua River where the departmental borders of El Progreso, Baja Verapaz and Guatemala converge...
near the village of San Antonio Las Flores in the municipality Chinautla
Chinautla
Chinautla is a municipality in the Guatemala department of Guatemala. According to the 2002 census, it had a population of 77,071, making it the ninth-largest city in the country and the seventh largest in the Guatemala Department....
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
.
The hydroelectric power plant is designed as a peaking plant and the water stored in its 258,969 m³ reservoir is used to generate electricity during hours of peak demand
Peak demand
Peak demand is used to refer to a historically high point in the sales record of a particular product. In terms of energy use, peak demand describes a period of strong consumer demand.- Peak load :...
. It has 5 Pelton turbines with a total installed capacity of 45 MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
which generate an average of 120 GWh of electricity per year.
The plant includes facilities for collecting and recycling plastic waste material found in the reservoir.
The Las Vacas project was built by a conglomerate of 4 private sector companies: Cementos Progreso, Fabrigas, Comegsa, and Iberdrola
Iberdrola
Iberdrola , headquartered in Bilbao, is a private utility with a global footprint and over 150 years of experience...
, which are partners in Hidroeléctrica Río Las Vacas, S.A.