Opening date 1970 Height 202 m (663 ft) Opened 1970 Construction began 1964 Spillway 2 | Impounds River Tormes Length 567 m (1,860 ft) Province Province of Zamora Impound Tormes | |
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Type of dam Arch with buttress section Dam volume 2,186,000 m (2,859,180 cu yd) Address SA-315, 8, 37176 Almendra, Salamanca, Spain Similar Tormes, Aldeadávila Dam, Arribes del Duero Natural P, Bemposta Dam, Pozo de los Humos | ||
Almendra dam top 6 facts
The Almendra Dam, also known as Villarino Dam, in Salamanca, Spain, interrupts the course of the River Tormes five kilometres from the village from which it takes its name: Almendra (literally, almond). It was constructed between 1964 and 1970.
The arch dam forms part of the hydroelectric system known as the Duero Drops, along with the Castro, Ricobayo, Saucelle and Villalcampo dams of Spain, and the Bemposta, Miranda and Picote Dams of nearby Portugal.
The reservoir that backs up behind the dam covers 86.5 square kilometres and contains 2.5 billion cubic metres of water as well as several drowned villages, among them Argusinos. The dam is more than half a kilometre wide and, at a height of 202 metres, one of Spain's tallest structures.
The dam supplies the Villarino Power Station with water via a tunnel for hydroelectric power generation. It is located underground about 14 km (8.7 mi) west of the dam. Water discharged from the power station enters the Douro River. The power station has an installed capacity of 810 MW and was completed in 1977.