Due to the deterioration due to its continuous operation during these years, a gully was formed under the slab, jeopardizing the outlet structure of the turbined water, which could cause the forced stoppage of the Power Plant and other damages if it is not repaired preventively.
Photo: CEL.
San Salvador. The Lempa River Hydroelectric Executive Commission (CEL) began the project to repair the discharge channel ramp for the two turbines of the 15 de Septiembre Hydroelectric Power Plant, the first since its construction in the 1980s.
Autonomous sources said that it is simultaneously carrying out stabilization works on the slope downstream of the right bank, which have made significant progress and are scheduled to end next May.
For the execution of the project, the autonomous company will invest $11 million of its own funds; construction and supervision are carried out by local companies, the sources said.
The Transactions Unit authorized the project, which includes the closing and drying of the turbinated water discharge channel, therefore, there will be no hydroelectric power generation during the month of April.
To maintain the environmental flow during this period of the year, water from the reservoir will be transferred through four of the eight gates of the spillway, continuously and in a controlled manner, to maintain the downstream ecosystem unchanged.
In the powerhouse, major maintenance will be carried out on Unit No. 1 and in Unit No. 2, a general inspection of the entire unit to project its integral maintenance (also known as Overhaul) in the summer of 2024-2025.
The 15 de Septiembre Hydroelectric Power Plant, the one with the largest installed capacity inaugurated in 1983, is located 90 kilometers from San Salvador, between San Vicente and Usulután, and has two generating units of 90 MW continuous. It is a rock fill dam; It is 57.2 meters high and has a concrete spillway with eight gates, an integral intake and a surface powerhouse.