Curillinque Hydroelectric Project, Chile

Returning water to nature. This is the task fulfilled by the Curillinque hydroelectric plant, located about 95 km east of the city of Talca, in Chile. The plant recovers the discharge water from the nearby Isla hydroelectric plant, and after using it to produce new energy, returns it to the Rio Maule. The average usable flow rate is 66.5 m³/s, with a drop of 126.33 meters.

The project also included an intake structure located in the discharge channel of the Isla plant, from which a concrete-lined intake canal extends for 6,020 meters. The canal has a trapezoidal section of 58.70 m² and enters a traditionally sectioned tunnel with a 6.50-meter diameter vault for 300 meters. At the end of the canal, a safety discharge structure was built, consisting of a lateral spillway and a chute, which can evacuate up to 130 m³/s.

The plant, which is 36.60 meters long, 24.10 meters wide, and 36.60 meters high, houses a Francis turbine with a capacity of 86.5 MW and a related generator, and has a superstructure made of prefabricated concrete elements.