Pichi Picún Leufú Dam

Pichi Picún Leufú Dam
Location of Pichi Picún Leufú Dam in Argentina
Country	Argentina
Location	Patagonia
Coordinates	40.011592°S 69.990849°W / -40.011592; -69.990849
Status	Operational
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment dam
Impounds	Limay River
Height	45 m (148 ft)
Length	1,045 m (3,428 ft)
Dam volume	1,562,000 m3 (55,200,000 cu ft)
Reservoir
Total capacity	197×10^6 m3 (160,000 acre⋅ft)
Surface area	19 km2 (7.3 sq mi)
Power Station
Installed capacity	261 MW (350,000 hp)

The Pichi Picún Leufú Dam (in Spanish Embalse Pichi Picún Leufú) is the third of five dams on the Limay River in northwestern Argentine Patagonia (the Comahue region), near the town of Piedra del Águila.

The dam is used for the generation of hydroelectricity and for the regulation of the flow. It measures 45 metres (148 ft) in height and 1,045 metres (3,428 ft) in length, and is made of 1,562 million cubic metres (55.2×10^⁹ cu ft) of loose materials. It was built by the Sweden-based multinational Skanska, and inaugurated in 2000.

The reservoir has an area of 19 square kilometres (7.3 sq mi) and a volume of 197 million cubic metres (160,000 acre⋅ft) in maximum normal conditions.

The hydroelectric plant has an installed power of 261 megawatts (350,000 hp) and generates an annual average of 1,080 gigawatt-hours (3,900 TJ). It employs three vertical-axis Kaplan turbines.

References

• (in Spanish) Secretaría de Energía. República Argentina. Embalse Pichi Picún Leufú.
• (in Spanish) Región Comahue.
• (in Spanish) Skanska LA. Central Hidroeléctrica Pichi Picún Leufú.