Project highlight: Colombia’s Hidroituango hydroelectric dam

Colombia

April 2, 2025

Hidroituango is a key infrastructure project for Colombia’s development. It is the largest power plant in the country and one of the 10 largest power plants in Latin America. When fully operational, it will supply 17% of Colombia’s energy, covering around 6.5 million households.

By dramatically boosting Colombia’s power production capacity, the project will decrease the country’s reliance on thermal plants, and thus imported gas, and improve energy security, avoiding electricity shortages and rationing.

SPECIFICATIONS: Hidroituango is located on the Cauca River in the Cauca Canyon, where the flow rate of the river is 1,100 cubic metres per second. The plant consists of a 225-metre-high dam with a volume of 20 million cubic metres.
The project includes an open-channel-type spillway for flood discharge controlled by four gates. Each gate is 15.4 metres wide by 19.5 metres high. The spillway has a discharge capacity of 22,600 cubic metres per second. The reservoir has a length of 78 kilometres and a volume of 2.8 billion cubic metres of water at the maximum operating level.
The underground power station has an installed capacity of 2.4 GW, with average yearly energy generation of 13,930 GWh. The machine cavern is the size of a 17-storey building and houses eight Francis turbines, each with a capacity of 300 MW. The project further includes 25 transformers and a 500-kV substation. The dam is already operating at half capacity following the completion of its first phase. The value of the project is USD 19.4 billion.

KEY PLAYERS: The shareholders of the plant include the Institute for the Development of Antioquia (50.74%), Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM) (46.33%), the Governorship of Antioquia (2.1%) and minority shareholders (0.83%). Collectively they comprise the Hydroelectric Ituango Society. The contracting entity is the Hydroelectric Ituango Society, and the contractor is EPM.

TIMELINE: Construction on the project began in 2010 and was initially projected to be finished by 2018. After overcoming several hurdles, the first stage was completed in November 2023. Currently, four units totalling half of the dam’s total capacity are in operation. The second stage is under construction and is due for completion by 2027. As of October 2024, the project was 93% complete.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL BENEFITS: Hidroituango represents Colombia’s continued push for clean, renewable energy. 65-70% of Colombia’s energy is already generated by hydroelectric power plants, which the new plant will significantly contribute to increasing. It will also avoid 4.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
Moreover, EPM has invested more than USD 600 million in the 16 municipalities near the plant. This includes the construction and rehabilitation of around 1,500 kilometres of roads, the building of houses and schools, and the construction of 86 water treatment plants. The project has had indirect benefits as well, including the reforestation and conservation of 200 square kilometres of land in regions surrounding the dam.

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