La Yesca Dam
La Yesca Dam is an embankment dam on the Santiago River northwest of Guadalajara on the border of Mexico's Nayarit and Jalisco states. Construction on the dam began in 2007 after Empresas ICA was awarded the main construction contract. The dam was inaugurated by President Felipe Calderón on 6 November 2012. The dam supports a 750 MW hydroelectric power station and is part of the Hydroelectric System Santiago. Its construction will improve the regulation of water flow and subsequently power generation downstream at the El Cajón and Aguamilpa Dams.Design
The La Yesca Dam is a tall and long concrete-face rock-fill embankment type with of fill. The dam's crest elevation is above sea level and it sits at the head of a catchment area. On the dam's left bank is a spillway controlled by six radial gates. The maximum discharge of the spillway is. The dam's reservoir has a capacity of of which can be used for generating electricity. The reservoir has a surface area of and a normal elevation of. The power station contains two 375 MW Francis turbine generators producing an estimated annual generation of 1,210 GWh.
