Mequinenza Dam

Dam in Province of Zaragoza, Spain
41°22′08″N 0°16′24″E / 41.368983°N 0.273381°E / 41.368983; 0.273381PurposePowerStatusOperationalConstruction began1957Opening date1964Owner(s)EndesaOperator(s)EndesaDam and spillwaysType of damConcrete gravity damImpoundsEbroHeight (foundation)79 m (259 ft)Length461 m (1,512 ft)Elevation at crest124 m (407 ft)Dam volume1,100,000 m3 (39,000,000 cu ft)Spillway typeOver the damSpillway capacity11,000 m3/s (8.9 acre⋅ft/s)ReservoirTotal capacity1,530,000,000 m3 (1,240,000 acre⋅ft)Surface area75.4 km2 (29.1 sq mi)Maximum length110 km (68 mi)Maximum width600 m (2,000 ft)Maximum water depth62 m (203 ft)Normal elevation121 m (397 ft)Commission date1966Turbines4 x 96 MW Francis-typeInstalled capacity384 MW

Mequinenza Dam (Spanish: Presa de Mequinenza) is a concrete gravity dam in the province of Zaragoza, Spain. It impounds the Ebro creating a large reservoir, which is called Mar de Aragón.[1] About 35 km downstream of Mequinenza dam is Ribarroja dam.

Empresa Nacional Hidroeléctrica del Ribagorzana S.A. (ENHER) was mandated in 1955[2][3] by Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI) to build two dams on the Ebro near Mequinenza and Ribarroja. Work on Mequinenza dam started in 1957.[1] The filling of the reservoir began in December 1965.[2] The power plant was operational in 1964[3][4] (1966[5]). ENHER was acquired by Endesa in 1999.[6]

Dam

Mequinenza Dam is a 79 m tall (height above foundation) and 461 m long gravity dam with a crest altitude of 124 m. The volume of the dam is 1,100,000 m3. The dam features a spillway with 6 gates over the dam (maximum discharge 11,000 m3/s) and one bottom outlet (maximum discharge 160 m3/s).[7]

Reservoir

At full reservoir level of 121 m.a.s.l. the reservoir has a surface area of 75.4 km2, a total capacity of 1.53 billion m3 and a length of almost 110[2][3] km. The average width of the reservoir is about 600 m, its maximum (average) depth is 62 (20) m.[5]

Power plant

The power plant contains 4 Francis turbine-generators. The initial nameplate capacity was 81 MW each. The turbines, generators and transformers were refurbished from 2007 until 2010 raising the capacity of the new machines to 96 MW each.[4] Maximum flow is 150 m3/s per turbine.[5]

See also

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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mequinenza Dam.

References

  1. ^ a b "HISTORIA" (in Spanish). www.mequinensa.com. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  2. ^ a b c "Embalse de Mequinenza" (in Spanish). www.turismodezaragoza.es. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  3. ^ a b c "REVISIÓN DEL DIAGNÓSTICO DE LA PRESA DE MEQUINENZA" (PDF) (in Spanish). COMITÉ NACIONAL ESPAÑOL DE GRANDES PRESAS. p. 2. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  4. ^ a b "La hidroeléctrica de Mequinenza ultima el cambio de sus turbinas tras invertir 40 millones" (in Spanish). www.20minutos.es. 2010-06-16. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  5. ^ a b c "Ministerio del Medio Ambiente - Comisaría de Aguas" (PDF) (in Spanish). DIAGNÓSTICO Y GESTIÓN AMBIENTAL DE EMBALSES EN EL ÁMBITO DE LA CUENCA HIDROGRÁFICA DEL EBRO. pp. 2–4. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  6. ^ "Endesa absorbe Fecsa y Enher". El País (in Spanish). 1999-03-18. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  7. ^ "PRESA: MEQUINENZA" (in Spanish). SOCIEDAD ESPAÑOLA DE PRESAS Y EMBALSES (SEPREM). Retrieved 2016-04-23.
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Dams on the Ebro
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