Limón Dam
| Limon Dam | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Official name | Presa Limon Proyecto Especial Olmos Tinajones (PEOT) |
| Country | Peru |
| Coordinates | 5°55′00″S 79°19′31″W / 5.9166667°S 79.32528°WCoordinates: 5°55′00″S 79°19′31″W / 5.9166667°S 79.32528°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 2006 |
| Opening date | 2009 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment, concrete-face rock-fill |
| Height | 43 m (141 ft) |
| Length | 320 m (1,050 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Capacity | 44,000,000 m3 (1.553845336×109 cu ft) |
| Active capacity | 30,000,000 m3 (1.059440002×109 cu ft) |
| Surface area | 275 ha (680 acres) |
| Power station | |
| Maximum capacity | 600 MW |
| Annual generation | 4,000 GWh (est.) |
The Limón Dam, part of the Olmos Transandino Project, is an under construction multi-purpose concrete-face rock-fill embankment dam on the Huancabamba River in northwestern Peru, located to the south of Guabal. When completed, the project will help produce 4,000 GWh of electricity per year and transfer water from the Cajamarca region west to Lambayeque, near Olmos for the reclamation and irrigation of 43,500 hectares of farmland. The greatest feature and engineering challenge of the project was digging the 20 kilometres (12 mi) trans-Andean tunnel as it connects the Atlantic side of the Andes (Amazon Basin) with the Pacific side.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History & construction
The idea to divert the Huancabamba River to the fertile lands of Olmos was first envisioned in 1924.[2] The hydroelectric component was added in the 1940s and 1950s. Preliminary feasibility studies were conducted in the 1960s and reports prepared in 1979, 1981 and 1983.[3] Tunnel excavation had been occurring since the 1950s and through the 1970s but work was halted in the 1980s due to a lack of funding. Construction on the project began in 2006 with the dam and Brazil's Odebrecht drilling the tunnel with a tunnel boring machine (TBM). Of the tunnel's 20 kilometres (12 mi) total length, 13.9 kilometres (9 mi) is being dug with a TBM. The dam was completed in 2009 and its reservoir began to impound the river.[4] The tunnel was completed on 20 December 2011 with a ceremony attended by Peru's President Ollanta Humala.[5][6][7] In June 2010, H2Olmos S.A. was awarded the contract for the irrigation system and it is expected to be operational in 2013.[8] The contract for the hydroelectric component, which is planned to consist of two power stations, was awarded to Sindicato Energético S.A. in June 2010.[9]
[edit] Project characteristics
The water transfer accomplished by the Limón Dam on the Huancabamba River will divert up to 2,050,000 cubic metres (72,395,067 cu ft) of water a year through the 20 kilometres (12 mi) Olmos Transandino tunnel to the Olmos River Valley.[10] The Limón Dam will be an 43 metres (141 ft) high, 320 metres (1,050 ft) long embankment dam and when full, it will withhold a reservoir of 44,000,000 cubic metres (1.553845336×109 cu ft). Water diverted by the dam will be transferred via the tunnel to the Olmos River where it will be used to irrigate 5,500 ha (13,591 acres) of land. From there, water will continue down the Olmos River where at two points, it will be used at hydroelectric power stations. At the base of the valley, water will settle in the Palo Verde Reservoir which will have a storage capacity of 790,000,000 cubic metres (2.7898586710×1010 cu ft). The Palo Verde Dam will serve as a diversion dam and shift water from the reservoir to the remaining 38,000 ha (93,900 acres) of farmland.[11][12]
[edit] Popular culture
The project was profiled in the May 18, 2009 episode of Build it Bigger.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Olmos Irrigation: A Work For Development (brochure)
- ^ "History". H2Olmos. http://en.h2olmos.com/history.html. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Japan Special Fund (JSF) Project Profile". Studies for the Olmos Irrigation Project. http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=687186. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Olmos Project" (in Spanish). Lambayeque Government. http://www.cclam.org.pe/foros/05_proyecto_olmos.pdf. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Work wraps up on Olmos water transfer tunnel". Hydro World. 20 December 2011. http://www.hydroworld.com/index/display/news_display.1567135009.html. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ Peru's Olmos Hydropower Project PEOT Extends Bidding Timetable
- ^ "Olmos Trans-Andean Tunnel". Robbins. http://www.robbinstbm.com/case-study/olmos/. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Trans-Andean tunnel to pump water to Peru’s farmers". Fresh Fruit Portal. 9 February 2011. http://www.freshfruitportal.com/2011/02/09/trans-andean-tunnel-to-pump-water-to-peru%E2%80%99s-farmers/. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Phases and Stages". H2Olmos. http://en.h2olmos.com/phases-and-stages.html. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ Willis, Desiree (July 2007). "Tunnelling through the Mountains of Per". Tunnel. The Robbins Company. pp. 60-62. http://six4.bauverlag.de/sixcms_4/sixcms_upload/media/293/60_62_tu7.pdf. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Description of The Works". H2Olmos. http://en.h2olmos.com/description-of-the-works.html. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Olmos Irrigation Project". H2Olmos. http://es.h2olmos.com/publicacion/8. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
