The consortium, made up of Industrias Metalúrgicas Pescarmona (IMPSA), Corporación América and Camargo Correa, has pre-awarded the construction of Condor Cliff-La Barrancosa hydroelectric dams, in the province of Santa Cruz, which requires an investment of 16,000 million Argentine pesos, as officially announced yesterday.
The National Government has decided to pre-award the construction of Condor Cliff-La Barrancosa hydroelectric dams, which shall be built on Santa Cruz river, to a corporate consortium formed by local firms: Corporación América and IMPSA and by the Brazilian company: Camargo Correa.

Argentine President, Cristina Fernández, joined by Governor Daniel Peralta, headed the Hydroelectric Complex pre-award meeting, which is to generate 5000 GWh of energy per year, with an installed power of 1740 MW, in the center of the province.

The meeting was also joined by Federal Planning Minister, Julio De Vido, the mayor of Puerto Santa Cruz, Pedro González, and the mayor of Comandante Luis Piedra Buena, José Bodlovic, the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers, Pablo González and the Minister of Production, Jaime Álvarez. The proposal investment for these future dams amounts to 16,000 million Argentine pesos in a five year term.
One of the main points of the decision adopted by the President yesterday is that these new hydroelectric works will seek to strengthen the diversification of the primary national power matrix, and will contribute to put an end to the power isolation that Santa Cruz has suffered for decades.
The work plan consists of, in the first place, the construction of the Condor Cliff dam, with power of 1140 megawatts, and, in a second term, the La Barrancosa dam, that will have a power of 600 megawatts, which together will add 1740 megawatts to the national power system.
Both plants are located in the south-central region of this Patagonian province, on Santa Cruz river.

In February, three consortiums submitted their tenders for the construction of the Hydroelectric Complex in the province of Santa Cruz: IMPSA-Corporación América-Camargo Correa (which resulted pre-awarded), Electroingeniería-IECSA-José Cartellone; and Roggio-Esuco-Supercemento.

Once the meeting had come to an end, the Governor of Santa Cruz expressed his satisfaction with the experience and expertise of the consortium and pointed out that: “it is an international corporate consortium, with massive capacity in this type of works and with the necessary infrastructure to foster and develop two dams the size of Cóndor Cliff and La Barrancosa. We believe that these companies have great experience and we consider that this process will be carried out rapidly. The team of the Ministry of Production of the Province together with Federal Planning will continue to work hand in hand, ensuring us that the terms will be complied with for the good of our people and our country”.
The Governor also stated that: “We believe that these colossal works will trigger great social mobility. The complex will have enormous historical impact as it will permanently change the roots of our province. We have committed ourselves to a province seen as an industrial model, which shall include industrial salaries and potential development in electro-intensive industries.”
According to estimates from the province leader, the award is going to take place in sixty days and the works are going to start in ninety days, and he announced that “in two months we are going to hold one of the most important institutional acts in the history of Santa Cruz, where people will have the opportunity to listen to the Argentine President and thank her for all the objectives accomplished and the ones which are to be accomplished, like the creation of thousands of job posts, greater social mobility, and an increase in the activity of our small and medium sized companies and our local and regional firms”.