DOI 10.

1007/s10749-020-01116-y
Power Technology and Engineering Vol. 53, No. 5, January, 2020

DEVELOPMENT OF THE HYDROPOWER POTENTIAL

OF THE GRANDE DE SANTIAGO RIVER (MEXICO)

A. V. Kozyrev,1 A. V. Lashin,2 I. O. Uskov,2 and V. I. Uskov3

Translated from Gidrotekhnicheskoe Stroitel’stvo, No. 8, August 2019, pp. 30 – 41.

Organization of the construction of three hydroelectric power plants on the Grande de Santiago River is de-
scribed, namely the Aguamilpa, El Cajòn, and La Yesca, for supplying power to the states of Nayarit and
Jalisco.
Keywords: Aguamilpa; El Cajòn; La Yesca; San Rafael; Grande de Santiago River; organization of construc-
tion; HPP cascade; assembly; equipment; hydropower potential development; Comissiòn Federal de
Electricidad.

Three gorges are used in the mountainous Grande de surge tank, and extended tailrace tunnel (Fig. 2). These lay-
Santiago River valley for the construction of three large outs are a universal solution that the client traditionally used
HPPs in Mexico — Aquamilpa, El Cajòn, and La Yesca — both on the given hydropower complexes and in many other
intended mainly for supplying power to the large industrial projects with a mountainous relief of the locality. The design
metropolis Guadalajara and the states of Nayarit and Jalisco,
heads are also similar at all three plants of the cascade:
in the territories of which are located hydropower com-
plexes. 145.1, 156.5, and 163.3, respectively, as well as the power of
Aguamilipa hydropower complex. Construction of the
lower step of the cascade, the Aguamilipa HPP, began in
1990 and was completed in 1994. Nine years later, in January
2003, development of the hydropower resources of the river 5
continued with the construction of the following plants — El
Cajòn and construction of the La Vesca HPP began down- 4
3
stream in 2007. The bid documents on all three objects were
worked out by the project client, the Comissiòn Federal de
Elecricidad (CFE) exclusively engaged in the generation and
distribution of electricity and having long-term traditions in
hydropower construction based on the use of reliable and
time-verified technical solutions. 2
A distinctive characteristic of the HPP projects on the
Grande de Santiago River is that the three hydropower com- 11
1
plexes have the same composition of structures and similar 10
6
layout and structural solutions regarding the hydraulic engi-
9
neering part and hydropower equipment. All hydropower
complexes have tall (about 200 m) rockfill dams with rein- 8
forced concrete impervious membranes and bank flume
spillways with overflow dams equipped with radial gates
(Fig. 1). Also similar are the layouts of the hydropower 7
structures with an inclined bank water intake, individual
Fig. 1. Plan of the Aguamilpa hydropower complex: 1, dam; 2, up-
headrace tunnels, underground powerhouse, underground
stream cofferdam; 3, downstream cofferdam; 4, diversion tunnels;
1 JSC Lengidroproekt, St. Petersburg, Russia; e-mail: KozyrevAB@1hp.ru 5, spillway; 6, HPP intake; 7, headrace tunnels; 8, underground pow-
2 PJSC Power Machines, St. Petersburg, Russia. erhouse; 9, underground surge tank; 10, tailrace tunnel; 11, emer-
3 JSC VNIIG im. B. E. Vedeneeva, St. Petersburg, Russia. gency canal.

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1570-145X/20/5305-0557 © 2020 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
558
7
6
4
3
2 5
Fig. 2. El Cajòn HPP. Longitudinal profile along hydropower struc-
tures: 1, HPP intake; 2, headrace tunnel; 3, underground power-
house; 4, underground surge tank; 5, tailrace tunnel; 6, shaft of the
conductors; 7, transformer area.
the turbogenerator units. Three 320-MW turbogenerator
units are installed at the Aguamilpa HPP and two 375-MW
units at the El Cajòn and La Vesca HPPs. The synchronous
rotational speed 150 rpm, rated generator voltage 17 kW
(13.8 kW at the Aguamilpa HPP), and electric current fre-
quency 60 Hz are the same at all HPPs. This made it possible
to use similar designs of the radial-axial hydraulic turbines
with support of the bearing on the turbine cover with a 5.3-m
runner diameter (5.2 m at the Aguamilpa HPP) and umbrella
hydraulic generators with indirect air cooling. There are also
distinctive features. In particular, the turbines of the El Cajòn
and La Vesca HPPs are equipped with built-in ring gates to
prevent slot cavitation between the wicket gate blades during
stopping of the turbogenerator units, which is not provided
for on the turbines of the Aguamilpa HPP.
Bidding on the Aguamilpa HPP was organized with sep-
aration into two parts: construction and electromechanical.
The construction contractor was the company Ingenieros
Civiles Asociados (ICA), a Mexican firm engaged in realiz-
ing large infrastructure projects on a nationwide scale: con-
struction of highways, bridges, airports, subway, and
hydropower plants. The basic project, put up for competition,
contained such technical solutions which during construction
made it possible to achieve a high rate of conducting the
works and to maximally approach the time of putting the
turbogenerator units into operation in order to receive an in-
come from the sale of the electricity being generated by the
HPP. These tasks were fulfilled by the contractor by using
modern construction technology, machines, mechanisms,
and materials.
The planned pace of construction was disrupted by a de-
structive flood which occurred on January 16 – 20, 1992 as a
consequence of a powerful rain front. The inflowing dis-
charge at this time increased to 10,800 m3/sec, which con-
siderably exceeded the design capacity of the diversion tun-
nels. After the river water level rapidly approached the eleva-
tion of the upstream cofferdam crest, it was decided to open
the emergency canal made in a rocky cut into a cofferdam
bypass. The water flowed along the emergency canal and
within a hour filled the pocket between the cofferdam and in-
completely constructed earth dam. The water level before
and after the cofferdam evened out and continued to in-
A. V. Kozyrev et al.
Fig. 3. Aguamilpa HPP. Assembly of turbogenerator units.
crease. The water soon drowned the cofferdam completely.
Fortunately, by this time the dam was dumped to higher ele-
vations, which permitted avoiding overflowing it with the
development of a serious technogenic accident. In its turn,
the presence of the emergency canal made it possible to keep
the upstream cofferdam from destruction, which was ex-
tremely important since construction works at the foot of the
dam were still not completed.
The electromechanical part of the project was realized by
the SEVST consortium consisting of the companies Siemens
AG (Germany); Énergomashéksport (USSR), which subse-
quently was a part of the Russian company OJSC Power Ma-
chines; Voest Alpine MCE (Austria); Grupo Siemens SA de
CV (Mexico); and Techint SA de CV (Mexico). The respon-
sibility of each participant was determined by consortial
agreement:
— Siemens: excitation system, automatic relay equip-
ment, monitoring system, 400-kW power cables, conductors,
bridge cranes;
— Énergomashéksport: hydraulic turbines (Turoatom
Research and Production Association), hydraulic generators
(JSC Élektrosila), power transfomers (JSC Zaporozhtrans-
formator);
— Voest Alpine MCE: gates and hoisting mechanisms
for the HPP intake, draft tube and spillway decks, turbine
speed regulators;
— Techint: storage and assembly of equipment.
Assembly works on the first turbine began at the end of
1992 with the installation of linings and embedded parts
(Fig. 3). Hydraulic tests of the scroll case were conducted on
January 30, 1993, and the runner was lowered into the tur-
bine pit on August 12, 1993. Simultaneously, works were
carried out on assembling the generator rotor on a stand in
Development of the Hydropower Potential of the Grande De Santiago River (Mexico)
Fig. 4. San Rafael hydropower complex (1994 – 2013).
the assembly area. works on assembling the generator stator
were carried out at the same time in a shaft. Upon completing
these works, the generator rotor was lowered on October 29,
1993, the line of shafting was checked on December 24,
1993, and then final assembly of the unit took place. After
this, startup and adjusting tests were conducted: idling opera-
tion of the unit, high-voltage tests of the stator winding, etc.
Synchronization of the first unit with the network was per-
formed on March 18, 1994. The second unit was assembled
analogously and started on May 28, 1994 and the third was
put into operation on June 9, 1994.
It was planned to operate the Aguamilpa HPP 6 h/day in
a peak regime with a discharge of 750 m3/sec, which would
lead to pronounced daily fluctuations of the lower pool water
level. To stabilize the level regime of the river, a counter-
regulator, the San Rafael hydropower complex, 17 km down-
Fig. 6. San Rafael HPP. View from lower pool.
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2
4 3
1
5
8
6 7
Fig. 5. C. H. San Rafael. Plan of hydropower complex: 1, dam;
2, upstream cofferdam; 3, downstream cofferdam; 4, diversion ca-
nal; 5, spillway; 6, HPP intake; 7, powerhouse; 8, tailrace canal.
stream of the Aguamilpa HPP, was constructed. The struc-
tures of the San Rafael hydropower complex included a
gravity-type concrete non-overflow dam constructed accord-
ing to the rolled concrete technology and a spillway with six
radial gates. A constant discharge of water of about
190 m3/sec was released into the lower pool of the San Rafa-
el complex.
An area for constructing the HPP was provided for in the
abutment to the right bank of the San Rafael complex, but the
plant itself was not constructed at first. The San Rafael com-
plex was put into operation in such a form in July 1994
(Fig. 4) and operated 19 years. Only in 2013 did construc-
tion of the HPP begin by the Acciona company under condi-
tions of an EPC contract. The HPP is equipped with three
Andritz 8-MW vertical Kaplan turbines. Construction of the
HPP took 3 years and was completed on February 3, 2016
(Figs. 5 – 7).
El Cajòn hydropower complex. The 1994 completion
of the construction of the hydropower complex consisting of
the Aguamipla HPP and San Rafael counter-regulator cre-
560
Fig. 7. San Rafael HPP. Machine hall.
ated favorable conditions for developing a local irrigation
system as well as served as a powerful momentum for further
development of the hydropower resources of the Grande de
Santiago River, particularly the construction of the next step
of the cascade, the El Cajòn HPP.
Unlike the bids on the Aguamipla HPP, competition for
the El Cajòn HPP was conducted as a single lot, without sep-
aration into construction and electromechanical parts. The
client wanted to deal with a single responsible juridical per-
son in the form of a consortium uniting representatives of
financial groups, construction companies, and equipment
suppliers. The competition was held in February 2003. In it
participated three consortiums, having presented their
own technical and commercial proposal (TCP): ICA —
ADISA — La Peninsular — OJSC Power Machines (PM),
US$748 million; General Electric — Camargo Correa —
Andrade Gutierrez, US$812 million; and Aristos — Con-
structora Cota — Tradeco — Nacional — Torres Mexicanas.
The last consortium was disqualified because of infringe-
ments made in the technical part of the TCP. The consor-
tiums confirmed participation in the competition by bank
guarantees in the form of pledged sums, which were returned
after the end of bids. In the spring of 2003, victory was
awarded to the consortium, which subsequently was called
Constructora Internacional de Infrastructura (CIISA), where
the construction firm ICA was the director and the company
PM was the equipment supplier. This consortium had the
lowest cost of generation of electricity in the TCP competi-
tion — 0.74 peso/(kW · h). The main competitors of PM in
the competitions were world giants of power machine build-
ing General Electric and Siemens, which offered their ser-
vices to the other consortiums.
The contract obligations of PM included the design,
manufacture, and delivery of hydropower, electrical, me-
chanical, and hoisting-transporting equipment, assembly,
startup and adjustment works, conduction of all types of
tests, putting the HPP into commercial operation, and guar-
antee servicing for two years. Since the parameters of the
A. V. Kozyrev et al.
main hydropower equipment at the El Cajòn HPP were simi-
lar to the parameters of the equipment for the Aguamilpa
HPP, this permitted enlisting the same suppliers: OJSC Tur-
boatom (Kharkov, Ukraine) for the turbines and PM/Élek-
trosila branch (St. Petersburg, Russia) for the generators.
Such a decision was justified from an economic and techni-
cal viewpoint as it made it possible to optimize the projects
with consideration of the experience in assembling and oper-
ating equipment at the preceding HPP of the cascade.
Various manufacturers and companies were enlisted for
supplying auxiliary electromechanical equipment and tech-
nological systems:
— gates, hoisting cranes, and hydraulic drives with in-
stallation and commissioning management — Ukraine
plants: Novaya Kakhovka Ukrgidromekh Plant, Zuevskii
Electromechanical Plant, Novokramatorsk Machine-Build-
ing Plant;
— speed regulators and ring gate control systems —
Voith Siemens (Austria);
— generator excitation system — PM/Élektrosila
branch (Russia); SF 6 gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) — VA
Tech (Great Britain).
Supplied from Brazil:
— the main step-up transformers — ABB;
— automated technological process control system —
Siemens;
— generator voltage conductors — Alstom;
— conductors for plant’s own needs system — Power
Bus;
— small turbogenerator unit for the plant’s own needs
— WEG/Altona.
According to the contract with PM, the Brazilian firm
Energ Power was the general designer of the electromechani-
cal part of the project and chief collector of complete sets of
auxiliary equipment and technological systems of the HPP.
This circumstance is explained by the presence of a large
quantity of equipment of Brazilian manufacturers known
to Energy Power from joint projects in Brazil. The mechani-
cal and crane equipment were designed by the special design
and technological bureau Zaporozhstal’ (Zaporozh’e,
Ukraine).
The El Cajòn HPP was a complex turnkey project for
PM. The main complexity consisted in monitoring and tech-
nical coordination of tens of contracts with various suppliers
of equipment and services as well as in interaction with de-
signers of the construction part. This was achieved by the
joint efforts of specialists at PM’s head office in St. Peters-
burg, design departments of plants, specialists of PM repre-
sentatives in Mexico City, and PM groups at the HPP.
A detailed schedule for conducting the construction and
assembly work was worked out by the CIISA consortium on
the basis of the following critical events regulated by the bid:
— transfer of water discharges in the river to the diver-
sion tunnels — November 30, 2003;
— completion of the construction of the upstream
cofferdam — July 1, 2004;
Development of the Hydropower Potential of the Grande De Santiago River (Mexico) 561

3
6 10
8

7
9
5

Fig. 8. El Cajòn HPP. Plan of hydropower complex: 1, dam; 2, up-

stream cofferdam; 3, downstream cofferdam; 4, diversion tunnels; Fig. 9. El Cajòn HPP. Dam and inlet portals of tailrace tunnels.
5, spillway; 6, HPP intake; 7, headrace tunnels; 8, underground HPP
powerhouse; 9, underground surge tank; 10, tailrace tunnel.

— completion of assembly and tests of gates on the HPP

intake and spillway dam before the forthcoming shutdown of
the diversion tunnels — June 30, 2006;
— shutdown of the diversion tunnels and start of filling
the reservoir — July 1, 2006.
On the critical path of construction were works on con-
structing two 900-m long 14 × 14-m diversion tunnels, erec-
tion of temporary cofferdams, and dumping the dam with
about 11 million m3 of fill (Fig. 8).
Works on constructing the underground machine hall and
surge tank as well as on driving numerous tunnels and verti-
cal shafts of various purposes were carried out on the right
bank of the river irrespective of the dam fill in the channel
part. Travel from the left to the right bank was provided for
along the crests of the cofferdams. A temporary steelwork Fig. 10. El Cajòn HPP. HPP dam and intake.
bridge was assembled for getting to the right bank and start
working on the underground structures without waiting for
dumping the cofferdams to be completed. 400 tons. By that time, construction works on the under-
For conducting the assembly works, the specialized com- ground excavation for the powerhouse and its roof and walls
pany Duero Ingenieria (Mexico) was contracted, which had were completed. The crane, turbine, and generator equip-
at its disposal the necessary hoisting mechanisms, work- ment were manufactured and delivered to the storages of the
shops, vehicle fleet and facilities, outdoor and covered construction site. Assembly works on the first turbine began
storages, assembly devices, and other equipment for effec- on February 8, 2005 with the installation of the draft tube el-
tive conduction of assembly works. Together with the trade bow liner. By that time the assembly cranes were still not
union, Duero Ingenieria selected skilled workers and engi- erected; therefore, the temporary 10-ton capacity construc-
neering staff, having provided them with safe working con- tion bridge crane and wheel-mounted crane were used. The
ditions as well as comfortable living and rest conditions. turbine stator (Fig. 11) was assembled by a standard bridge
Assembly of the equipment was under the control of a group crane on June 8, 2006. Hydraulic tests of the scroll case were
of field inspection and chief assembly specialists of the sup- carried out after assembly was completed. During concret-
plier plant. On the initiative of CM, the Mexican team of as- ing, the scroll case was filled with water and was under the
semblers was reinforced by Russian specialists of the com- rated pressure in accordance with the requirement of the bid
pany JSC Spetsgidroénergomontazh (SGÉM). documents. The runner (Fig. 12) was lowered into the tur-
At the start of 2005, the construction contractor trans- bine pit on April 19, 2006, and the turbine cover along with
ferred to PM a field of operations for assembling two ma- the hydraulic cylinders of the ring gate was installed on June
chine hall bridge cranes each with a lifting capacity of 12, 2006 (Fig. 13).
562
Fig. 11. El Cajòn HPP. Assembly of turbine stator.
Fig. 12. El Cajòn HPP. Turbogenerator pit.
At the same time, works were carried out in the shaft of
the turbogenerator unit on assembling the generator stator.
The generator rotor was lowered into the pit on September 1,
2006 (Fig. 14). On October 20, 2006 the line of shafting was
checked, and then final assembly of the unit was accom-
plished. After this, startup and adjustment tests were carried
out: idling operation of the unit and high-voltage tests of the
stator winding. The unit was synchronized with the network
on February 15, 2007.
Simultaneously, the auxiliary technological systems of
the powerhouse were assembled and adjusted: water cooling,
fire extinguishing (gas and water), drainage of the power-
house and dewatering system of the turbine blading, ventila-
tion and air conditioning, industrial water supply, com-
pressed air, communication, lighting, grounding, direct and
alternating current, etc. The turbine draft tubes were re-
moved into the underground surge tank. Works were carried
out there on installing stop logs for closing off the draft tubes
A. V. Kozyrev et al.
Fig. 13. El Cajòn HPP. Installation of the turbine cover with ring
gate.
Fig. 14. El Cajòn HPP. Assembly of generator rotor.
and on assembling a bridge crane for servicing the gates.
These works began on April 23, 2005 and were completed on
November 9, 2006.
At the same time, works were performed also on other
structures of the hydropower complex. On the ground sur-
face above the powerhouse was constructed an electrical
substation on which were carried out the installation of six
17/400-kV single-phase step-up transformers, assembly of
the 400-kV gas-insulated switchgear, as well as other electri-
cal equipment: circuit breakers, switches, overvoltage limit-
ers, etc. These works began in May 2006 and were com-
pleted in February 2007. The 17-kV generator voltage con-
ductors transmitting electricity from the generators to the
transformers were located in two vertical 6-m diameter,
120-m deep shafts and were assembled along with other sub-
station equipment.
Development of the Hydropower Potential of the Grande De Santiago River (Mexico)
Fig. 15. El Cajòn HPP. Construction of spillway.
The installation of two stop gate-emergency gates with
rods, individual hydraulic drives and installation and com-
missioning management, stop log, and gantry crane for ser-
vicing it were provided for on the HPP intake. Assembly
works began on April 27, 2006 and continued until Decem-
ber 2006.
Six radial gates with individual hydraulic drives and in-
stallation and commissioning management, stop logs, and a
gantry crane for servicing them were installed in the bays of
the spillway dam (Fig. 15). Assembly works began on Octo-
ber 14, 2005 and were completed on November 9, 2006 with
test lifts of the gates and check releases of water into the
lower pool of the complex.
The first unit was put into commercial operation on Feb-
ruary 27, 2007. Thus, works on assembling the first turbo-
generator unit took about 25 months. Simultaneously, assem-
bly works were carried out on the second unit, which contin-
ued for 27 months and were completed with commissioning
on May 30, 2007 (Fig. 16). The fact of commissioning the
units was confirmed by the act of temporary acceptance after
200-h operation under load. From that moment responsibility
for operating the plant passed from the consortium to the cli-
ent with technical support of specialists of the consortium.
Special courses were organized to train the client’s operating
personnel by specialists of PM and suppliers.
In the fall of 2007 full-scale tests were conducted to con-
firm the correspondence of the actual efficiency of the unit to
the value which was claimed in the TCP. The firm Kharkov-
TurboInzhiniring (Kharkov, Ukraine) with the participation
of JSC TsKIG research and production association (St. Pe-
tersburg, Russia) was enlisted to test the turbine. Used for
these works were 57 hydrometer flowmeters installed on a
support frame inside the headrace tunnel near the entry into
the scroll casing. The readings from each flowmeter were
used to determine the velocity of the flow and then the dis-
charge of water through the turbine and efficiency were cal-
culated. Before and after the tests, the flowmeters were cali-
563
Fig. 16. El Cajòn HPP. Machine hall of underground powerhouse.
brated in the deep-water experimental basin of the Krylov
Central Research Institute (TsNII, St. Petersburg, Russia).
Works on the HPP were carried out in the presence of repre-
sentatives of the client, RM, and turbine manufacturer. The
generator was tested by specialists of the Élektrosila plant.
During the tests the efficiency values claimed and guaranteed
in the TCP were confirmed.
It should be noted that upon completion of construction,
objects of the industrial facilities, storages and temporary
communications of various types, residential settlement, ad-
ministrative and household buildings, and temporary access
roads and bridges were dismantled. In accordance with the
requirements of the bid, complete rehabilitation and planting
trees and shrubs of the territory of the construction site of the
hydropower complex were carried out and those roads,
bridges, and other infrastructure objects which were intended
for permanent operation were reconstructed and updated.
La Vesca hydropower complex. In 2006 a competition
was announced for collaboration of ICA with PM on the con-
struction of the El Cajòn HPP, it was decided to form a new
consortium Constructora de Proyectos Hidroeléctricos
(CPH) for participating in the competition for the La Vesca
HPP. The following consortiums participated in the bids:
CPH (ICA — La Peninsular — PM), US$908 million;
Gusta — Synohidro, US$1249 million; Techint — Impre-
gilo — V A Tech. The last consortium was disqualified be-
cause of infringements made in the technical part of the TCP.
According to the results of examining the TCPs, the competi-
tion’s organizer decided to annul the bids because the bid
participants exceeded the budget cost of the project —
US$836 million.
The following consortiums participated in repeated bids
in 2007: CPH (ICA — La Peninsula — PM). US$ 768 mil-
lion; Techint — Impregilo — VA Tech, US$ 856 million;
Carso — Voith Siemens, US$811 million. Making a decision
about awarding the contract, the client took into account that
the presence of construction equipment and skilled labor
564
5
3
4
10
9
8
2 6
7
Fig. 17. La Vesca HPP. Plan of hydropower complex: 1, dam; 2, up-
stream cofferdam; 3, downstream cofferdam; 4, diversion tunnels;
5, spillway; 6, HPP intake; 7, headrace tunnels; 8, power house;
9, underground surge tank; 10, tailrace tunnel.
force, having been freed up at the El Cajòn HPP, would be a
strong impulse for starting the construction of the La Vesca
HPP located near the preceding site. Participation of PM in
the consortium made it possible to use analogous hydro-
power equipment of the same supplier that equipped the
downstream plants of the cascade with turbines and genera-
tors. As a result, the client awarded the winner in the compe-
tition to the CPH consortium, which showed in its TPC the
lowest cost of electricity generation — 0.80 pesos/(kW · h).
A subcontract form of participation of PM in the CPH con-
sortium was accepted during internal negotiations and mu-
tual agreement. Construction of the La Vesca HPP began in
October 2007.
The contract obligations of PM, as also for the El Cajòn
HPP, included design, manufacture, delivery of the entire
volume of technological equipment, assembly and startup
and adjustment, conduction of guarantee tests, putting the
HPP units into commercial operation on January 2 and April
2, 2012 with guarantee two-year servicing. The suppliers
of the main hydropower equipment were JSC Turboatom
(Ukraine) and PM/Élektrosila (Russia), as also on the down-
stream plants of the cascade; the suppliers of the auxiliary
equipment were changed. It is necessary to note that supply-
ing the El Cajòn HPP with complete sets of Brazilian-made
auxiliary equipment caused difficulties for the client related
to the complexity of its servicing. For this reason, require-
ments on purchasing equipment on the local market were
brought up in the bid. To meet this requirement, companies
having representation in Mexico were enlisted to supply aux-
iliary equipment to the La Vesca HPP, namely:
— speed regulators, ring gate control system, small
turbogenerator unit for own needs — Andritz;
— hydraulic drives and installation and commissioning
management — Rexroth;
A. V. Kozyrev et al.
Fig. 18. La Vesca HPP. Hauling the turbine runner.
— main step-up transformers, automatic control system,
GIS, and other electrical equipment — Siemens.
The firm Hydroproject de Mexico (Mexico) was selected
as the general designer of the electromechanical part of the
CM project. Specialists of this company coordinated the
work of numerous subcontractor organizations, monitored
fulfillment of the work schedule, coordinated the designs of
the equipment with the designs of the construction part, etc.
All assembly works were accomplished by the Duero Inge-
nieria company assisted by SGÉM specialists and under the
supervision of head engineers of the suppliers.
Having positive working experience on the construction
of the El Cajòn HPP, the participants of the CPH consortium
looked at the new contract with great enthusiasm, consider-
ing it a copy of the preceding one. Actually, there was much
in common in the layout and designs of the structures of the
two hydropower complexes. The La Vesca HPP had an anal-
ogous rockfill dam 200 m tall with an impervious reinforced
concrete membrane, bank flume spillway, maximum capac-
ity 15,100 m3/sec, and two 14 × 14-m diversion tunnels
(Fig. 17) The water from the intake to the unit of the under-
ground powerhouse was delivered by two tunnels with an in-
side diameter of 7.7 m and a maximum discharge of
250 m3/sec through each tunnel. A substation with step-up
transformers and GIS was located in an outdoor area.
However, the natural conditions of the La Vesca HPP site
were considerably more complex. The steep walls of the can-
yon created problems for organizing industrial facility and
residential settlement sites, as well as substantially hindered
the construction of temporary roads. On some stretches the
longitudinal incline of the roads exceeded 20%, and the
ground cover was constantly destroyed and deformed by the
heavy-load trucks. The transport company Transportes Telle-
ria, having the necessary experience, specialized equipment,
and skilled personnel, was contracted to haul oversize loads
under complex conditions of the mountainous locale
(Figs. 18 and 19). In particular, to overcome the most hazard-
Development of the Hydropower Potential of the Grande De Santiago River (Mexico)
Fig. 19. La Vesca HPP. Transporting a sector of the generator stator.
Fig. 20. La Vesca HPP. Inlet portal of diversion tunnels with rein-
forced-concrete galleries.
ous stretches of the road when delivering transformers
weighing more than 100 tons each, a motor vehicle train con-
sisting of a tractor, trailer, and two heavy bulldozers, which
moved with lowered blades, cutting like a knife into the road
cover for braking the train and keeping a speed at no more
than 4 km/h, was used.
Despite the high rate of conducting the construction
works, lagging occurred by the end of 2009. This was ex-
plained by the considerable volume of additional construc-
tion works, the need for which arose as a result of the real,
extremely complex engineering geological situation from
that presented in the bid documents. An urgent revision of
the basic design decision became necessary. In particular, on
the left-bank slope was discovered a geological fault which
threatened the stability of the rocky slope about 150 m high
above the inlet portals of the diversion tunnels. To secure the
slope, a massive 40-m high retaining structure was erected,
during the construction of which 400,000 m3 of concrete was
placed. To protect the inlet portals of the tunnels, reinforced
565
Fig. 21. La Vesca HPP. Construction of vertical shafts of support
cutoff.
Fig. 22. La Vesca HPP. Dam. View from upstream pool.
concrete galleries each 70 m long were added on to them
(Fig. 20). To stabilize the left-bank slope, a support cutoff
was made in the form of a series of concrete-filled vertical
shafts about 60-m deep and 7 m in diameter (Fig. 21). Dur-
ing construction of the spillway, the need for additional stabi-
lization of the slopes of the pit was revealed, which affected
the abutment of the spillway to the earth dam. This led to the
need to shift the axis of the dam and to increase its profile
volume (Fig. 22). The design of the spillway was also
changed, which was divided into three independent canals
made at different levels (Fig. 23).
Considerable difficulties arose during construction of the
HPP intake (Fig. 24). The absence of intact rock in this zone
necessitated the construction of a foundation in the form of
reinforced concrete piles. Technical difficulties were re-
vealed during construction of the underground structures. In
particular, within the limits of the assembly site was found a
tectonic fault, which necessitated transferring the site to the
566
Fig. 23. La Vesca HPP. Dam and spillway canals.
Fig. 24. La Vesca HPP. HPP intake.
Fig. 25. La Vesca HPP. Surge tank with braces.
A. V. Kozyrev et al.
Fig. 26. La Vesca HPP. Electrical substation.
Fig. 27. La Vesca HPP. General view.
opposite side of the powerhouse with a corresponding elon-
gation of the transport tunnel. As a result of decompaction of
the rock mass, movements of the vertical walls of the surge
tank were discovered, which necessitated additional shoring
up the walls by reinforced-concrete braces (Fig. 25).
Despite the safety measures taken, the client feared a
landslide during filling of the reservoir and water invasion of
the left-bank slope. A bottom outlet equipped with two coni-
cal gates were constructed inside one of the diversion tunnels
for control during filling. This structure was not provided for
earlier in the design.
The aforementioned changes mainly submerged the con-
struction part of the project and to a lesser degree the electro-
mechanical part. Nevertheless, the question arose about the
impossibility of starting the units at the contract times and
well as about the insufficiency of the financial resources allo-
cated for construction. since according to the conditions of
the contract the engineering geological risks were applied to
the client, ICA turned to CFE with the request for additional
construction financing. The client had funds only in the
Development of the Hydropower Potential of the Grande De Santiago River (Mexico)
amount of the budget cost of the project; therefore, the prob-
lem of exceeding the limits and allocation of additional fi-
nancing was solved at the National Congress of Mexico.
During this period, the rate of construction decreased sub-
stantially; works were carried out mainly on the dam. As a
result, it was decided to prolong construction according to an
updated schedule.
The units of the La Vesca HPP were put into industrial
operation on October 29 and November 30, 2012. The total
construction time instead of 4 years and 7 months specified
by the bid was 5 years and 2 months. Construction of the
HPP structures was completed with a substantial budget
overrun.
In November – December 2013, full-scale tests of the
turbine were conducted to confirm the efficiency values de-
clared in the TCP. According to the competition conditions,
the tests should be conducted by the thermodynamic method,
for which the Norwegian company Sweco, having the neces-
sary measuring equipment and work experience, was hired.
Support frames on which were located perforated tubes for
intake of water from various points of the cross section were
installed inside the tailrace tunnel and draft tube or conduc-
ing the tests. The water entered a measuring vessel in which
it was mixed and its temperature measured. Furthermore, the
water pressure before and after the turbine and the energy of
the water flow and turbine efficiency were calculated. The
guaranteed efficiency values were confirmed during the
tests.
The completion of the construction of the La Vesca HPP
was a significant event both for the client and for the consor-
tium. Complex technical problems that occurred during con-
struction were able to be solved by all participants involved
in the project. In 2013 the authoritative Mexican construction
journal Obras awarded the La Vesca HPP the honorary title
“Construction of the Year” as the largest hydropower con-
struction project of the highest social significance, and the
PM company received from the client a “Reliable Supplier”
certificate.
567
CONCLUSIONS
1. The project of constructing a cascade of four HPPs
with a total capacity of 2484 MW and average long-term
electricity generation of 4721 million (kW · h) was realized
from 1990 to 2013 on the Grande de Santiago River (Mex-
ico).
2. The system of reservoirs with a river flow dam-regu-
lator that formed on the river created favorable conditions for
the development of an irrigation system having great agricul-
tural significance.
3. Construction confirmed the organizational and techni-
cal possibility of supplying equipment and performing the
entire complex of construction and assembly “turnkey”
works in a brief calendar time.
4. Success of the construction was due to the joint ef-
forts of the client and contractor.
The client’s responsibilities were:
— working out detailed bid documents, preparing and
conducting bids;
— examination of the TCP of competitors and awarding
the contract to the victor;
— strict monitoring of the quality and time of perform-
ing construction works, manufacture, delivery, and assembly
of equipment;
— training of operating personnel.
The responsibilities of the contractor were:
— enlistment of investments for financing construction;
— development of design documents;
— enlistment of qualified personnel to realize the de-
signs;
— organization of the construction and assembly of
equipment with the use of modern innovative technolo-
gies, machines, and mechanisms providing a high labor
productivity;
— effective management of administrative resources
and technical problems regarding coordination of the works
of organizations involved in the project.