ENERGY: New Dam Makes Venezuela a Greater Power

By Estrella Gutiérrez Reprint | | Print |

Estrella Gutierrez

CARACAS, Jan 22 1997 (IPS) - Venezuela will became a leading Latin American power supplier with the opening of the Macagua II dam on the Caroni river Thursday, providing another 12,918 megawatts to the nation’s hydroelectric centres.

President Rafael Caldera will formally open the site, inaugurating installations which will initially produce 2,550 megawatts of power, with another 4,860 megawatts from two other planned dams to come later.

However, the Guri power centre will continue to be the queen of the Guayana region dam complex, for its 10,000 megawatts, which are only outdone by the 12,600 megawatts produced by the Itaipu dam on the frontier between Brazil and Paraguay.

Efrain Carrera, president of the State Caroni Electricity Company (Edelca), said that when the tumultuous upper reaches of the Caroni are harnessed, the total capacity of the Guayana region will swell to 25,920 megawatts.

In February, Venezuela will sign an agreement with Brazil for the supply of an initial 200 megawatts to the city of Boavista, but with later plans to reach Manaos as well.

Agreements have also been made to supply the frontier areas of Guyana, while connections are already established with Colombia, and Puerto Rico has shown an increase in buying more supplies – making Venezuela into an important exporter of its hydro-electric surplus.

Edelca generates around 95 percent of the hydroelectric energy in Venezuela, and the final objective, according to the Energy Ministry, is that the country should be self-sufficient in electricity, gas and diesel, completely liberating oil production for the foreign market.

At present, the local market absorbs 368,000 barrels per day assigned to Venezuela for the Organisation of Petrol Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Macagua II is special for it is found in a fully urbanised area of Porto Ordaz, 782 kms southeast of Caracas, within the Guayana rainforest region, where the Guayana masof 1.995 billion dollars since the project started in 1983, 40 percent of which was paid by loans, and the rest from Edelca resources.

Edelca’s leader said the dam had been built to fit in with the environment and to offer improvements of urbanrivatised this year.

Where the Caroni river flows into the Orinoco, the nation also has an immense deposit of non-conventional crudes – the biggest in the world – while in the State of Bolivar, home to the Guayana complex, there has also been a rapid expansion of mining activity.

Carrera explained that all these projects, like the big oil developments in the neighbouring state of Anzoategui, will create new demands for electrical energy from Macagua II.

The dam has cost a total of 1.995 billion dollars since the project started in 1983, 40 percent of which was paid by loans, and the rest from Edelca resources.

Edelca’s leader said the dam had been built to fit in with the ources.

Edelca’s leader said the dam had been built to fit in