Argentina-Colombia: hydroelectric project

Mr Julio Cobos, Governor of the Argentine province of Mendoza, has recently presided over the opening of the economic bid from Argentine-Colombian joint venture Ingetec-Inconas-Jaime Lande to carry out the 90MW Portezuelo Del Viento hydroelectric project studies. The contract involves technical-economic feasibility and basic studies design together with the executive project and bidding rules for the works with three alternative designs. The Argentine-Colombian consortium was left as the sole remaining contender to reach the economic bidding stage, offering USD 4.57 million, beating off the Iatasa-Intertechne consortium which had also submitted a proposal to carry out the study. The project consists of a dam with a maximum altitude of 151m and the operating level of the reservoir of 1540-1616m above sea level. The hydroelectric facility will be equipped with three 30MW Francis turbines with a 3m diameter rotor. The second stage project aims to divert water from the Grande River to the Atuel River using canals and aqueducts to irrigate 58,000 hectares of land. The Ingetec-Inconas-Jaime Lande bid will be analyzed by the pre-awarding commission.