El Canada Hydroelectric Project

completed

The El Canadá hydroelectric power project (El Canadá) is situated 12 kilometers south of Quetzaltenango municipality and approximately 200 kilometers west of Guatemala City. The Instituto Nacional de Electrificación (INDE) originally conceived the project in 1963 and the concept was thoroughly developed by Acres International Corporation (Acres) in 1992 for INDE. In 1999 Energía Global International, Ltd. (EGI), a Central America renewable power specialist, acquired development rights and all technical studies from Acres. El Canadá will be constructed immediately down-stream of and will divert tailrace from the existing 15.5 MW Santa Maria hydroelectric project on the Samalá River in western Guatemala, which was completed in 1925 to power an electric railway. Diverted tailrace from the older project will flow through a 1.5 Km tunnel 2.5 meters in diameter to an 180,000 m3 five-hour peaking reservoir. Water stored in the reservoir will flow to a powerhouse situated on the Samalá River approximately 400 m vertically below the diversion dam and produce 43 MW of electric power using two Pelton turbines.