As a measure to avoid affecting the riverside populations downstream of the Ituango hydroelectric plant (Hidroituango), the Nation approved the entry “ASAP” of the generation units to avoid and thus reduce the water that goes through the landfill.
(They set zero hour for the start of work of Hidroituango).
The decision was made at the recent meeting of the Unified Command Post (PMU), convened on the instructions of the President of the Republic, Iván Duque Márquez, which It was led by the Minister of Mines and Energy, Diego Mesa Puyo, and the Director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency of the Republic, Víctor Muñoz Rodríguez, who in turn chairs the UNGRD board of directors.
Also present were the director of the Environmental Licensing Authority (Anla), the Director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, the Director of Ideam, the Deputy Director of the Colombian Geological Service, the Director of the Administrative Department for the Management of Disaster Risk of Antioquia, the General Manager of EPM, among other national and departmental officials.
The PMU met on the occasion of the recent visit to the project by Anla, the MME, and the UNGRD last Friday, February 11, to review in the field the conclusions of the study delivered by the firm Pöyry on the current status of the project.
(They confirm a sanction against EPM for not putting Hidroituango into operation).
“Both the ANLA and Pöyry agree on the risk that the permanent operation of the landfill represents for the downstream communities. Therefore, based on the analysis of the technical opinion rendered by Pöyry, within the framework of compliance with the preventive measure imposed by this Environmental Authority through Resolution 820 of 2018, it is considered imperative to urge the company Hidroituango, as responsible for the management of the project risk, advance the necessary actions and measures to dissipate the energy of the reservoir by conveying the water through the different generation units as soon as possible”says a statement from the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
For the Nation, as it is a risk management measure, the current preventive provision does not prevent the person responsible for project risk management, Hidroituango SAESP, from generating electricity, which is the most effective and urgent measure to mitigate the risks of the project, especially considering the downstream communities, since this gradually begins to release the pressure on the landfill and the basin.
(They declare repaired the patrimonial detriment in the Hidroituango case).
EPM also confirmed in the PMU that the civil works for the assembly and installation of the first 4 turbines will be completed during 2022. The project today presents a general progress of 87.03% and the company ratified the schedule so that the first generation unit between July 26, 2022, followed by the second generation unit before November 2022, and the third and fourth generation units in January and September 2023, respectively.
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