GUADALUPE POWER

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The Guadalupe Hydroelectric Project for Colombia will provide a loan of US $12 million to the Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM) to finance its power expansion program. The EPM owns and operates the electrical power supply in the area of Medellin. Currently, it does not have the capacity to supply enough power to its consumers. This problem has slowed economic development in the area. The objective of the project is to increase the generating capacity of the EPM by 96 MW and the amount of energy delivered annually to Medellin by 540 million kwh. It will include transmission facilities and the expansion of the distribution system in Medellin. The project components are: 1) diversion of two small rivers into the Guadalupe river; 2) construction of the Troneras earth filled dam; 3) construction of the Troneras and Guadalupe III power plants; 4) installation of 70 km of double circuit 120 kv transmission and tie lines; 5) enlargement of Medellin substations, addition of transformer capacity, and extension of primary and secondary distribution circuits; and 6) preliminary studies on the Nare scheme. These improvements will increase the power capacity of the EPM in order to meet consumer demands.