Chapiquiña Power Plant

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Coordinates: 18°22′22.8″S 69°33′18″W / 18.373000°S 69.55500°W / -18.373000; -69.55500
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Chapiquiña Power Plant
Scheme of the rivers in Arica y Parinacota, with Canal Lauca highlighted; the plant lies at the south-west end of the canal
Map
Official nameCentral Hidroeléctrica Chapiquiña
CountryChile
LocationArica y Parinacota Region
Coordinates18°22′22.8″S 69°33′18″W / 18.373000°S 69.55500°W / -18.373000; -69.55500
StatusActive
Construction began1962
Commission date1967
Owner(s)E-CL
Operator(s)
  • Engie Energía Chile
Power generation
Units operational2
GW·h
[edit on Wikidata
]

Chapiquiña power plant is a

Pelton turbine
.

Structure

External image
Chapiquiña power plant
image icon 1969 photo of the power plant

It lies 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of Arica,[1] in the Putre commune[2] of the Arica y Parinacota Region.[3] The plant lies at an elevation of 3,300 metres (10,800 ft);[1] the town of Chapiquiña lies south of the plant.[4] The name Chapiquiña is derived from Aymara ch`apikiña and means "bed of thorns".[1]

Water is carried by the 28 kilometres (17 mi) long

Pelton turbines. The water is held in a reservoir after exiting the plant before being discharged[1] into the Quebrada Cosapilla; from there it flows into the Rio Seco and eventually into the San José River.[6] The maximum flow capacity of the plant is 137 cubic metres per second (4,800 cu ft/s)[5] while the capacity of the feeder Canal Lauca is only 2,750 litres per second (97 cu ft/s) and a more typical flow rate is 670 litres per second (24 cu ft/s);[7] most of the water in the San José River comes from the Chapiquiña power plant.[6] There is also a rain gauging station at Chapiquiña.[8]

Operation

Chapiquiña produces about 10.2

GWh.[2] It operates mainly when power consumption is high[11] and is one of the few hydroelectric power plants in northern Chile.[4]

Aside from producing electrical power, the water discharged into the San Jose River is intercepted downriver and used to irrigate the Azapa Valley;[12] the reservoir downstream of the turbines serves to secure water delivery even when water is low in the Canal Lauca.[1]

  • Operating principle of a Pelton turbine
    Operating principle of a Pelton turbine
  • The Azapa Valley close to Arica
    The Azapa Valley close to Arica

History

Studies on the possibility to use the Lauca River as a water source for the Azapa Valley were made after 1945;[13] during planning of the diversion the idea rose to use the drop at Chapiquiña for hydropower generation.[7] Construction of the plant was started by the company ENDESA in 1962 and operations commenced in March[14] 1967.[1][5] Until 2017, it was the largest public works project in the Arica y Parinacota Region;[15] the construction of the power plant was part of a series of public work projects in the 1960s–1970s in the Arica region.[16] The plant underwent a number of ownership changes after it was built;[14] it is currently owned by the company E-CL.[5]

It was also planned to augment the water supply to the plant by pumping water from

conservation measure. Such trees provide nesting sites for birds and regulate the local water balance.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ Such high power production is only possible with a minimum flow of 1.2 cubic metres per second (42 cu ft/s) and thus does not occur during low flow periods.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Central Hidroeléctrica en Arica genera 10,2 MW de potencia directa para el SING". Míneria Chilena (in Spanish). ELECTRICIDAD. June 5, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "CATASTRO DE PROYECTOS Y CENTRALES DE ERNC 2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). Electricidad. 2016. p. 178. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 22, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Embajador de España visitó generadora hidroeléctrica Chapiquiña en región de Arica y Parinacota" [Spanish ambassador visited the Chapiquiña hydroelectric plant in the Arica y Parinacota Region]. BioBioChile (Press release) (in Spanish). March 16, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Chapiquiña". La Estrella de Arica (in Spanish). February 5, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d Superintendencia de Electricidad y Combustibles 2016, p. 7.
  6. ^ a b del Canto 1997, p. 23.
  7. ^ a b Jeria 2003, p. 29.
  8. ^ del Canto 1997, p. 11.
  9. ^ Jeria 2003, p. 30.
  10. ^ Superintendencia de Electricidad y Combustibles 2016, p. 13.
  11. ^ Superintendencia de Electricidad y Combustibles 2016, p. 8.
  12. ^ del Canto 1997, p. 24.
  13. ^ Jeria 2003, p. 27.
  14. ^ a b Peters, Ricardo (2016). "Información de parámetros de las Unidades Charmilles de Central Hidroeléctrica Chapiquiña según Anexo Técnico "Determinación de Parámetros para los Procesos de Partida y Detención de Unidades Generadoras"". Coordinador Eléctrico Nacional – SING (in Spanish). p. 2. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  15. ^ "Comienza a operar el mayor paso fronterizo integrado con Bolivia". Economía y Negocios (in Spanish). August 30, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  16. ISSN 0718-3429
    .
  17. ISBN 9789561010093
    .

Sources

External links

Ulloa Alvarado, Andrés Camilo (2016). Análisis preliminar de la conversión de una central hidroeléctrica convencional en una de bombeo. Caso Central Chapiquiña, Región de Arica y Parinacota, Chile (Thesis) (in Spanish). University of Chile.

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