Guri Dam

A huge wall sits on a river.

This wall is in Venezuela. It holds back a giant lake. This lake is one of the largest on Earth.

The dam makes power from the water. This power helps lights turn on in homes. It even sends power to other lands.

Sometimes the water gets too low. This can happen when it does not rain for a long time. When this happens, the lights might go out.

The wall is very long and very tall. It is a very big thing to see.

The Guri Dam is a massive wall in Venezuela.

It sits on the Caroní River. People built it between 1963 and 1969. The dam is 7,426 meters long. It is also 162 meters high. This wall holds back a huge lake called the Guri Reservoir. It is one of the largest lakes on Earth.

The dam uses water to make electricity. This is called hydroelectric power. This power helps light up homes in Venezuela. Some power even goes to Colombia and Brazil. The dam is very important for the country. In fact, 74% of Venezuela's power comes from renewable energy. This means power from natural sources like water.

Sometimes, the lights go out in Venezuela. This can happen during a drought. A drought is when there is very little rain for a long time. When it does not rain, the water level in the lake gets low. Low water makes it hard to make enough power. In 2010, the government had to use rolling blackouts. This means the power goes off for a short time to save energy.

Caption: The dam and lake seen from space.

The Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant is a huge dam in Venezuela.

It sits on the Caroní River in Bolívar State. This dam is a gravity and embankment dam made of concrete. It is very long at 7,426 metres. It is also 162 metres high. The dam holds back a huge body of water. This is called the Guri Reservoir. It is one of the largest man-made lakes on Earth. This reservoir is a massive blackwater lake. It provides a lot of fresh water for the area.

The dam works by using moving water to make electricity. This is called hydroelectric power. The water from the reservoir flows through the plant. Inside, there are many large turbines. These turbines spin to create power. By 1978, the plant had ten turbines. This gave it a capacity of 2065 megawatts. A megawatt is a way to measure how much power is made. Later, a second powerhouse was built with ten more turbines. Each of these new turbines can make 725 megawatts. This helps supply power to many people.

People began planning this project in 1961. The Harza Engineering Company did the first studies. An international group of six firms built the plant. Four of these were companies from the United States. Construction started in 1963 in the Necuima Canyon. This canyon is about 100 kilometers upstream from the Orinoco River. The first part of the dam was finished in 1969. It was first called the Raúl Leoni Hydroelectric Plant. Later, it was renamed the Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant. A new part of the dam opened in 1986.

The dam is very important for Venezuela. About 74% of the country's electricity comes from renewable energy. This means power from natural sources like water. The Guri Dam alone provides more than one third of all the power. Some of this electricity even goes to Colombia and Brazil. The reservoir can hold 138 billion cubic metres of water. This helps manage floodwater. Since the year 2000, workers have been fixing the plant. They want to keep it working for 30 more years.

Sometimes, the dam faces hard jobs. If there is a long drought, the water level drops. Without enough water, it is hard to make electricity. In 2010, the government used rolling blackouts to save power. In 2016, they also had to limit electricity for many hours. On March 7, 2019, the whole plant failed. This left 32 million people in the dark. Experts say this happened because the machines are old. They say the plant needs more maintenance to work well.

The Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant is a massive energy facility in Venezuela. It is also known as the Guri Dam or Represa de Guri. This structure is a concrete gravity and embankment dam. It sits on the Caroní River within Bolívar State. The dam is vital because it creates the Guri Reservoir. This reservoir is one of the largest on Earth. It is also the largest fresh water body in Venezuela.

This dam functions by generating hydroelectric power. This process uses the movement of water to create electricity. The reservoir holds a massive amount of water behind the dam. When water flows through the plant, it turns large machines called turbines. The spinning turbines generate power for the electrical grid. The plant has two main sections called powerhouses. Powerhouse I originally used ten turbines to generate electricity. In 1976, a second building stage began to meet rising demand. This added a second powerhouse with ten more turbines. Each of these new turbines has a capacity of 725 megawatts (MW). A megawatt is a unit used to measure electrical power.

The dam has grown in size and complexity over many decades. The original structure was completed in 1969. At that time, the plant had a combined capacity of 1750 MW. By 1978, the capacity reached 2065 MW. The dam is 7,426 metres long and 162 metres high. After the second expansion, the water level rose to 272 metres above sea level. The reservoir can hold 138 billion cubic metres of water for flood storage. This large volume helps manage floodwater evacuation. The second part of the structure was officially inaugurated on 8 November 1986.

History shows how much planning went into this massive project. Technical feasibility studies began in 1961. These studies were conducted by the Harza Engineering Company. An international consortium of six firms won the contract to build the plant. This group included four companies from the United States. Construction started in 1963 in the Necuima Canyon. This canyon is located 100 kilometers upstream from the mouth of the Caroní River. The plant was originally named the Raúl Leoni Hydroelectric Plant. It was later renamed the Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant.

The dam is a cornerstone of the Venezuelan energy system. Venezuela uses a policy to minimize power from fossil fuels. This allows the country to export as much oil as possible. Because of this, 74% of the nation's electricity comes from renewable energy. Hydroelectric power is a primary source of this renewable energy. The Guri Dam alone supplies more than one third of Venezuela's electricity. Some of this generated power is even exported to Brazil and Colombia. This makes the dam a key part of the regional energy network.

However, relying so heavily on one source carries significant risks. The plant depends entirely on the water levels in the reservoir. In 2010, a prolonged drought caused water levels to drop too low. This meant the dam could not produce enough electricity for everyone. The government had to impose rolling blackouts to manage the shortage. A similar situation happened in April 2016. During that time, the government announced blackouts of four hours every day. These restrictions lasted for 40 days until the water levels stabilized.

In March 2019, the plant experienced a major failure. On 7 March, the Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant failed completely. This left most of Venezuela's 32 million citizens in the dark. The failure affected the San Gerónimo B substation. This specific substation distributes 80% of the country's electricity. Officials tried to restart it four times, but all attempts failed. Government officials called the event an act of sabotage. However, many experts believe the failure was due to aging infrastructure. They suggest the plant suffered from insufficient maintenance over the years.