Location Paute, Ecuador Operator(s) CELEC Length 420 m (1,380 ft) Construction began 1976 Type of dam Arch-gravity dam | Opening date 1983 Impounds Paute River Opened 1983 Impound Paute River | |
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Height 1,188,219 m (1,554,132 cu yd) Similar Alberto Lleras Dam, Shuangjiangkou Dam, Thissavros Dam, Laxiwa Dam, Piedra del Águila Dam | ||
The Paute Dam, also known as the Daniel Palacios Dam and the Amaluza Dam, is the largest hydroelectric dam in Ecuador. It is located on the Paute River, 125 kilometres (78 mi) from Cuenca. After the privatization of power generation that began in 1996 under the government of Sixto Durán Ballén, the dam passed into the hands of the company Hidropaute SA and then returned to state ownership during the government of Rafael Correa when Hidropaute became part of the Ecuador Electricity Corporation (Corporación Eléctrica del Ecuador, CELEC).
Map of Paute Dam, Ecuador
Paute was constructed between 1976 and 1983 on the Paute River and designed on the premise that it would be erected upstream of the Mazar Dam. The Paute Dam's supports to 1,075 megawatts (1,442,000 hp) Molina Power Station. In late 2009, low water levels at the dam were the primary cause of an electricity crisis in Ecuador.