Almendra Dam

Almendra Dam

Main arch section (left)
Buttress section (right)
Location of Almendra Dam in Spain
Coordinates 41°16′7.83″N 6°19′13.43″W / 41.2688417°N 6.3203972°W / 41.2688417; -6.3203972Coordinates: 41°16′7.83″N 6°19′13.43″W / 41.2688417°N 6.3203972°W / 41.2688417; -6.3203972
Construction began 1964
Opening date 1970
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Arch with buttress section
Impounds River Tormes
Height 202 m (663 ft)
Length 567 m (1,860 ft)
Dam volume 2,186,000 m3 (2,859,180 cu yd)
Spillways 2
Spillway capacity 3,039 m3/s (107,321 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Total capacity 2,500,000,000 m3 (2,026,783 acre·ft)
Catchment area 7,100 km2 (2,741 sq mi)[1]
Power station
Name Villarino Power Station
Coordinates 41°15′42.69″N 6°29′36.38″W / 41.2618583°N 6.4934389°W / 41.2618583; -6.4934389
Operator(s) Iberdrola
Commission date 1970-1977
Type Conventional, diversion
Turbines 6 x 135 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity 810 MW

The Almendra Dam, also known as Villarino Dam, in Salamanca, Spain, interrupts the course of the River Tormes five kilometres from the village from which it takes its name: Almendra (literally, almond). It was constructed between 1964 and 1970.

The arch dam forms part of the hydroelectric system known as the Duero Drops, along with the Castro, Ricobayo, Saucelle and Villalcampo dams of Spain, and the Bemposta, Miranda and Picote Dams of nearby Portugal.

The reservoir that backs up behind the dam covers 86.5 square kilometres and contains 2.5 billion cubic metres of water as well as several drowned villages, among them Argusinos. The dam is more than half a kilometre wide and, at a height of 202 metres, one of Spain's tallest structures.

The dam supplies the Villarino Power Station with water via a tunnel for hydroelectric power generation. It is located underground about 14 km (8.7 mi) west of the dam. Water discharged from the power station enters the Douro River. The power station has an installed capacity of 810 MW and was completed in 1977.[2]

References

  1. "Almendra Dam" (in Spanish). Spanish Society of Dams and Reservoirs. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  2. "Conventional Hydroelectric Plants in Spain - Castilla y Leon". IndustCards. Retrieved 8 February 2015.

External links

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