La Barrancosa Dam

The Jorge Cepernic Dam, formerly known as La Barrancosa Dam, is a concrete-face rock-fill dam being built on the Santa Cruz River about 115 km (71 mi) west of Puerto Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It was renamed after the former governor of Santa Cruz Jorge Cepernic. A consortium led by China's Gezhouba Group was awarded the contract to build the Jorge Cepernic Dam and the Néstor Kirchner Dam upstream in August 2013. The consortium will also fund the construction. Both dams are expected to cost nearly US$4.8 billion.^[1] The dam is being built by Eling Ingeniería, the successor of Electroingeniería of Osvaldo Acosta and Gerardo Ferreyra.^[2] The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and its power station will have an installed capacity of 600 MW.^[3]

Jorge Cepernic Dam
Location of Jorge Cepernic Dam in Argentina
Country	Argentina
Location	Puerto Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Province
Coordinates	50°11′31.76″S 70°7′14.64″W / 50.1921556°S 70.1207333°W / -50.1921556; -70.1207333
Purpose	Power
Status	Under construction
Construction began	July 2015
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment, concrete-face rock-fill
Impounds	Santa Cruz River
Height	43.5 m (143 ft)
Length	2,900 m (9,500 ft)
Dam volume	6,900,000 m^3 (9,000,000 cu yd)
Reservoir
Total capacity	2,720,000,000 m^3 (2,210,000 acre⋅ft)
Surface area	198 km^2 (76 sq mi)
Hydraulic head	34.65 m (113.7 ft)
Turbines	5 x 120 MW Kaplan-type
Installed capacity	600 MW
Annual generation	1,866 GWh (estimate)

In July 2015 machines arrived in Santa Cruz for the construction of the dams.^[4]

In December 2023 construction was stopped awaiting funding from China.^[5]

References

1. "China will build and finance two dams in Patagonia equivalent to 10% of Argentine power demand". 22 August 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
2. Represas Kirchner y Cepernic | La última gran joya de los reyes de la obra pública (in Spanish)
3. (PDF). Water and Energy National and Regional Integration. Government of Argentina. p. 95. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
5. Diamante, Sofía (7 February 2024). "La construcción de las represas de Santa Cruz está frenada desde diciembre a la espera del financiamiento de China". LA NACION. Retrieved 8 February 2024.