Porce III: a new milestone in Colombia’s hydropower development

The Porce III scheme in Colombia, where the first unit was recently commissioned, represents several significant achievements for the country: with a final capacity of 660 MW, it is the largest hydro scheme to be built in the past decade, and the 154 m-high concrete faced rockfill dam, despite some design and construction challenges, can be regarded as a successful major dam of this type, thanks to some precautionary measures incorporated in the design.