Chivor HPP Modernization

The Chivor Life Extension Project (CLEP) is much more than a maintenance and modernization program: it is a work of vision and resilience aimed at extending the life of the majestic Chivor Hydroelectric Plant and its La Esmeralda reservoir.

Since the 1970s, the Chivor Hydroelectric Plant has stood as an icon of engineering, with its imposing 237-meter-high rockfill dam, an underground water supply system consisting of two pressurized tunnels each over 8 km long, and a powerhouse equipped with eight Pelton turbines that together deliver a total power of 1,000 MW.

Over time, the advance of sediments carried by the tributaries jeopardized the continuity of the operation, threatening the existing intakes and pushing the safety of the infrastructure to its limits. Faced with this challenge, AES Colombia devised a bold solution: the construction of new intakes at a higher level, connected through an underground system that links to the tunnels in operation, thus ensuring the region's energy future.

With an investment of approximately $65 million, the project benefited from the expertise of LOMBARDI, which for 42 months—between 2019 and 2022—led the optimization of the design, detailed engineering, and technical assistance on site. Through innovation and precision, the original design of reinforced concrete-lined tunnels evolved into a more efficient solution: the use of shotcrete lining, achieving significant reductions in costs and execution times.

The heart of the project is a pressurized underground system over 600 meters long, consisting of a new main intake, a monumental vertical headrace connecting future intakes to the main branch, governed by a 7.5 m x 5.5 m section gate valve capable of directing the flow to two parallel branches that converge in a valve chamber (+12,000 m3 of rock). From there, two vertical shafts descend to connect with the existing tunnels, completing a hydraulic circuit worthy of an epic feat of modern engineering.