Ancoa dam review wrapping up

The hydraulic works department of Chile's public works ministry is wrapping up a review of the preliminary design for the US$34mn Ancoa dam concession project in southern Region VII, a project official told BNamericas. The project entails a 120M cu. m. dam upstream from city Linares on the Ancoa river that would directly benefit some 40,000ha. The document containing the preliminary design information will go to press in the coming weeks, said the official, adding that a call for bids to carry out detailed engineering studies would follow. OTHER DAMS Ancoa is one of three dam projects the ministry is developing. The others are the US$150mn Punilla project in Region VIII and the US$128mn Puntilla del Viento project in Region V. Punilla would be built on the Ñuble river in Region VIII and would more than double irrigation coverage to 66,000ha and support a 94MW hydroelectric facility with a 104 cu. m/second flow. The 137m-high, concrete face rockfill dam would flood a 1,700ha area and would have a useful water storage volume of 600M cu. m. The 650M cu. m, 119m-high Puntilla del Viento dam would irrigate the upper area of the Aconcagua river basin. Punilla and Puntilla del Viento would also be put out to concession. Regarding Punilla, a separate project official said national environment authority Conama extended the EIS review period to December 5 as clarifications were needed; while a project official for Puntilla del Viento said they expect a timetable by month-end regarding bidding processes for advanced studies.