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El Quimbo Dam

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El Quimbo Dam

El Quimbo Dam is a concrete faced rock-fill dam (CFRD) and hydroelectric power facility in the Huila Department of southwestern-central Colombia, approximately 69 kilometres (43 mi) south of the city of Neiva, on the Magdalena River. It is located about 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) upstream from the conf

luence of the Páez River with the Magdalena River. Its works were officially opened on February 25, 2011 in the presence of President Juan Manuel Santos. It is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country. The project was completed 4 years later, in late 2015. The powerhouse near the base of the dam has an installed capacity of 400 MW, which is expected to achieve an average energy generation of 2,216 gigawatt-hours (7,980 TJ)/year, with a dam that will have a live storage of 1,824 million cubic metres (1,479,000 acre⋅ft) and an inundated area 8,250 hectares (20,400 acres). The objective is to enhance the energy security and stability of the Colombian electricity supply, meeting about 8% of energy demand in Colombia with energy prospects of 1,650 gigawatt-hours (5,900 TJ) to 2034. Environmental license to implement the project was granted by Colombia's Environment Ministry, which...

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