Xalalá hydroelectric dam
Encyclopedia
The Xalalá Hydroelectric Dam is a proposed dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

 that will span the Chixoy River
Chixoy River
The Chixoy River or Río Negro is a river in Guatemala. The river is called Río Negro from its sources in the highlands of Huehuetenango and El Quiché until it reaches the Chixoy hydroelectric dam , where the Río Salamá and Rio Carchela converge with the Río Negro...

 at in the municipality of Ixcán
Ixcán
Ixcán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. Its administrative centre can be found in Playa Grande. The municipality consists of 176 communities, called aldeas. It has an area of 1575 km2...

 in 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 US$ 400 million dam's hydroelectric power station will have an installed capacity of 181 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...

, generating an estimated 886 GWh of electricity per year.

Controversy and funding

Despite the dam's benefits, there has been strong local opposition to the project. Controversy surrounds the site since it will flood 31.8 km2 and displace twelve Q'eqchi' Maya
Q'eqchi' people
Q'eqchi are one of the Maya peoples in Guatemala and Belize, whose indigenous language is also called Q'eqchi'....

 communities. It is a project of the Plan Puebla Panama
Plan Puebla Panama
The Puebla-Panama Plan is a multi-billion dollar development plan formally initiated in 2001, which is intended to "promote the regional integration and development" of the nine southern states of Mexico with all of Central America and Colombia...

In the municipality of Ixcan
Ixcán
Ixcán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché. Its administrative centre can be found in Playa Grande. The municipality consists of 176 communities, called aldeas. It has an area of 1575 km2...

, of 21,000 people who voted, 91% voted against the creation of the dam. Strong opposition to the project has been credited with the lack of funding of the site. Private funding of the site was halted in April 2007. Despite the government's efforts and interest from foreign investors, plans to finance the project have stopped since.
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