El Cajón Dam (Mexico)

El Cajón Dam
El Cajón Dam
	View of upstream side of dam; concrete-face on left, spillway on right
	Location of El Cajón Dam in Mexico
Location	Nayarit, Mexico
Coordinates	21°25′41″N 104°27′07″W / 21.42806°N 104.45194°W
Purpose	Power
Construction began	2003
Opening date	June 2007
Construction cost	US$800 million
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Concrete-face rock-fill
Impounds	Río Grande de Santiago
Height	178 m (584 ft)
Length	640 m (2,100 ft)
Spillway type	Gate-controlled chute
Spillway capacity	14,864 m3/s (524,917 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates	El Cajón Reservoir
Total capacity	5,000,000,000 m3 (4,100,000 acre⋅ft)
Power Station
Operator(s)	CFE
Commission date	2007
Type	Conventional
Turbines	2 x 375 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity	750 MW
Annual generation	1,228 GWh

The El Cajón Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Río Grande de Santiago in the Mexican state of Nayarit. Construction began in 2003 and was completed in June 2007. It cost US$800 million to build.^[1] It is 640 m (2,100 ft) long and is 178 m (584 ft) high. The reservoir holds approximately 5,000,000,000 m³ (1.8×10¹¹ cu ft) of water, and the generators are capable of producing 750 MW of electricity. The dam is operated by the Comisión Federal de Electricidad, a state-owned Mexican electric company. Throughout the construction of the El Cajón Dam, the following is estimated:

Rock fill with concrete face dam
A cost of 800 million dollars
An economic benefit of 2 billion pesos (160 million dollars)
The creation of approximately 10,000 direct and indirect jobs
The improvement of access roads that will benefit up to 20,000 inhabitants belonging to 40 communities
An annual mean power generation of 1,228 GWh, approximately 1.5 times the annual consumption of Nayarit
An installed capacity of 750 MW
An approximate annual savings of two million barrels of fuel oil
An increase in the firm power generation of the Aguamilpa Hydroelectric Station, due to the regulation of the Río Grande de Santiago and its effluents in the basin, as well as the diversification of the primary energy sources in the National Electric System.

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "VoIP plays role in $800 million construction project". FierceEnterpriseCommunications. 2 August 2007. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
^ "Taking a tour of CFRDs". International Water Power and Dam Construction. 6 October 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.