Following the high tension system arrival at Pico Truncado, now the construction of two hydroelectrical projects will be launched in Santa Cruz River -the most plentiful of the Austral Patagonia region. This is case of the Condor Cliff and Barrancosa Projects.

On the 19^th February, Friday, the bids submitted from three consortiums (made up of ten top companies) will be opened. They have re formulated their original proposals in order to compete at the bidding for the construction of two hydro plants in San­ta Cruz river.

This calling out for bidding raised the interest of leading constructors who have undertaken significant hydroelectrical works in Philippines, Co­lom­bia, USA, Bra­zil and Ve­ne­zue­la.
The projects submitted for tender by the National Government for Santa Cruz river have a dramatic energetic and strategic impact on the Austral Patagonia region development.

Having a energetic policy in place since six years ago which put an end to Chubut and Santa Cruz provinces isolation for decades in relation to the National Interconnected System (NIS), the construction of these two hydro plants will aim at repeating in the Austral Patagonian region, the benefits of the 70’s in Comahue from the undertaking of a number of hydro plants such as El Cho­cón, Ce­rros Co­lo­ra­dos, Ali­cu­rá and Pie­dra del Águi­la.One of the consortiums expecting to be awarded the works of Condor Cliff hydroelectrical plant (760 MW and an average energy yield of 3.800 GW/h yearly) as well as those of La Ba­rran­co­sa (680 MW and 1.960 GW/h yearly) is formed by Cor­po­ra­ción Amé­ri­ca owned by Eduardo Eurnekian together with IMP­SA and Ca­mar­go Co­rrea.

The other group is formed by Elec­troin­ge­nie­ría, Jo­sé Car­te­llo­ne and IEC­SA, whilst the third consortium in the run is formed by Esu­co, Te­chint, Be­ni­to Rog­gio and Su­per­ce­men­to.
Having a mean flow of 750 cubed meters/second this Santa Cruz river course is one of the most important ones within the Austral Patagonia region following Limay river course (1,300 cubed meters / second).

One of the most relevant data for the investment on these two projects -which amount to 3,500 million dollars as a whole approx- is that this project will help transforming the economic profile of this region passed over for decades, and subject to cope with the contribution of small diesel dramatically anti-economic power stations.

As recalled by the Ministry of Federal Planning presided by Minister Ju­lio De Vi­do, the feasibility of these projects has been looked at four decades ago by former Agua Y Energia Electrica (water and power utility). However, the dissolution and liquidation of said company in the 90’s made these projects be forgotten.

It was just through the National Energy Plan submitted in May 2004, that these projects now in progress have been given a boost in a first stage through the construction of high tension lines (500 kV) in the whole country specially in the Patagonian region, as it happened with the Choe­le-Choel-Puer­to Madryn and Madryn-Pi­co Trun­ca­do sections opened on the 28^th February 2006 and the 30^th April 2008 respectively.

SOURCE : BAE.