Hydroelectric power station
RÍO HONDO
SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO
This project was the most important work of its time for Northern Argentina as it aimed to provide water to irrigate more than 300,000 hectares, control the flooding of the Sali-Dulce River, as well as promote tourism, in addition to power generation.
This large-scale work in Northern Argentina had the threefold objective of flood control, irrigation optimization and power generation.
PROJECT
Reservoir dam and hydroelectric plant on the Rio Dulce (17.5 MW), Termas de Rio Hondo, Santiago del Estero Province
CLIENT
Agua y Energía Eléctrica Sociedad del Estado
DESCRIPTION OF WORKS
This is a local earth dam which boasts a concrete middle section, of a total of 4,347 m in length, and a width of 10 m at the crown and 216 m at the foundation. The dam meant that the flow of water of the Rio Dulce could be controlled for the purposes of the power plant as well as irrigation and flood mitigation.
The upstream bank has a slope with a gradient of 1:4 from 149.25 m to 268.52 m elevation and a gradient of 1:3 from the latter to 278.5 m. There were three protection layers. The first, is 30 cm thick and made of sand and clean gravel. The second has the same thickness and is made of pebbles (with a diameter between 1/4″ to 4″) and the third is made of cast stone or rip-rap and is 75 cm thick as a defense against the surf.
The downstream bank has a slope with a gradient of 1:3 with two 3 m berms at 258.50 m and 268.52 m.
The concrete section is located on the right bank. The structure was built on a consolidated clay bank of 20 m in thickness and consists of 21 Greager-Scimeni type weirs.
There are Kaplan turbines housed under the two right-hand weirs, while in the four subsequent ones there are the Howell-Bunger type bypass valves which are 1.80 m in diameter and have a capacity of 47 m3/s and then the 4 flat sluice gates bottom outlets with a discharge capacity of 134 m3/s.
