Mequinenza Dam

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.

Mequinenza Dam
Location of Mequinenza Dam in Spain
Official namePresa de Mequinenza
LocationProvince of Zaragoza, Spain
Coordinates41.368983°N 0.273381°E / 41.368983; 0.273381
PurposePower
StatusOperational
Construction began1957
Opening date1964
Owner(s)Endesa
Operator(s)Endesa
Dam and spillways
Type of damConcrete gravity dam
ImpoundsEbro
Height (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 dam
Spillway capacity11,000 m3/s (8.9 acre⋅ft/s)
Reservoir
Total 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 date1966
Turbines4 x 96 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity384 MW

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]

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See also
  • "La presa de Mequinenza". Wikimapia. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  • "Embalse de Mequinenza". megaconstrucciones.net. Retrieved 2016-04-23.

References
  1. "HISTORIA" (in Spanish). www.mequinensa.com. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  2. "Embalse de Mequinenza" (in Spanish). www.turismodezaragoza.es. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  3. "REVISIÓN DEL DIAGNÓSTICO DE LA PRESA DE MEQUINENZA" (PDF) (in Spanish). COMITÉ NACIONAL ESPAÑOL DE GRANDES PRESAS. p. 2. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  4. "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. "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" (in Spanish). El País. 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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