Hidroituango: what is missing for the first turbine to start operating - Medellín - Colombia

One of the three pending challenges that the Ituango hydroelectric project has for the first power generation unit to come into operation on July 26 of this year had a new advance recently, after the visit of the National Environmental Licensing Authority (ANLA).

The technical team of the National Authority for Environmental Licenses, from February 7 to 11, made the control and follow-up visit to this project and validated that EPM is taking the pertinent actions to overcome the contingency that occurred in 2018.

The ANLA visited the works in general, the powerhouse, the left and right margins of the landfill, the reservoir, the monitoring center and other sites of interest, in order to carry out the analysis and verification of the information presented in the report. the Chilean company Pöyry.

Although the environmental authority did not say more about the visit, it did announce that its technical team will continue with the analysis of the document and recalled that the ANLA makes pronouncements through administrative acts.

This is considered progress in one of the challenges of the project, which is to recover the environmental license with the Pöyry report, which was requested in 2018 by the ANLA as an expert opinion on the stability conditions of Hidroituango.

The report was delivered at the end of December 2021 and it depends on it that the environmental authority lift Resolution 820 so that the project can be continue with the works other than those exclusive to the contingency.

Hidroituango power cables. Each one has a diameter of 13.3 centimeters and can reach 600 meters.

Due to the pandemic, the visits of the international experts could not be carried out, so the report had a delay of approximately a year and a half to be delivered.

Jorge Andrés Carrillo -general manager of EPM- indicated in January that it will be the Anla, within the framework of its powers, that must inform, communicate or require everything related to said report on the current stability of the project and the operation of the future generation center.

“Due to the pandemic, the visits of the international experts could not be carried out, so the report had a delay of approximately a year and a half to be delivered. This is an opinion and not a root cause study of what happened in the contingencyCarrillo clarified.

The manager clarified that the start-up of Hidroituango depends on the recovery of said environmental license.

Panoramic view of Hidroituango.

Precisely, this report warns about the risk of the landfill, which is still in operation and is a work that it is not made to be in constant operation.

In this regard, EPM indicated that this is their main concern and made it clear that the only option to evacuate the water, other than the landfill, is through the generation units, that is, for Hidroituango to start operating.

The other two earrings

The first major challenge is the auxiliary diversion gallery, which was plugged in 2018 and caused the current contingency.

William Giraldo, Vice President of Power Generation Projects at EPM, explained that in 2019, as a result of this contingency, the two gates installed in this gallery, weighing 300 tons each, were closed to prevent the passage of water.

Hidroituango power house.

With the pumping of the water that was in this area, it was possible to enter sufficient personnel and machinery to carry out the proper cleaning and removal of debris and mud.

In the last days of January “it was possible to enter the auxiliary diversion gallery (GAD), a very positive fact for the recovery of the project and for the tranquility of the communities located downstream. With the pumping of the water that was in this It was possible to enter the area with sufficient personnel and machinery to carry out the proper cleaning and removal of debris and mud,” Giraldo said.

The other challenge to start operating is that the powerhouse, the ‘heart of Hidroituango’, which was flooded for 271 days, is adequate.

Currently, work is underway to put the first two generation units into service, in July and October of this year.

“The civil works of the first generation unit have already been completed and work has begun on the installation of electromechanical equipment and the control and installation of all auxiliary services. In the generation 2 unit, the emptying of the remaining concrete is carried out. It is estimated that in a month it would be reaching level 217, the same level where unit 1 is located and where the work is leveled out so that it begins to operate in October,” Giraldo said.

MEDELLIN

Operating results of the Police Directorate in 2021 - Colombia

Capital District, Bogota

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

With our 7,500 police officers, 2,500 horses and 1,260 canines, we will continue working for rural security.

The Directorate of Carabineros and Rural Security of the National Police presents a balance on the operational results within the framework of the Integrated Rural Security System (SISER), where we seek to guarantee the protection of natural resources and rural security in consolidation areas, parks natural areas, reserve areas and productive zones.

Guaranteeing rural security implies adopting new intervention models that guarantee promptness in response to the needs of the peasants; In this sense, the Directorate of Police implemented thirteen Police Squads in eight departments of the country, alternating their mobility between horses and motorcycles; This strategy has made it possible to decisively counteract the crimes that most affect rural security.

In the year 2021, we have worked jointly with local and national authorities to guarantee citizen tranquility and coexistence throughout the country, which is why to date we have captured more than 1,380 people for different crimes, 196 weapons have been seized of fire, 12,096 kilograms of narcotics and recovered 7,379 head of cattle, attacking the main crimes that destroy the environment and threaten the life and property of rural families.

According to official data for 2020, Colombia registered a total of 171,685 hectares of deforested forest, due to causes mainly associated with extensive cattle ranching, cultivation of crops for illicit use and illicit mining, of this total it is estimated that 63.7% ( 109,478 hectares) are concentrated in the Amazon region, mainly in the departments of Meta, Caquetá, Guaviare and Putumayo.

The protection of the environment and natural resources is one of the pillars of our Management, in this sense, we have made enormous efforts to care for the country’s water, soil and biodiversity, aware that caring for the environment guarantees our survival as human species, in this regard, 65 operations and 13 phases of the Artemisa military and police campaign have been carried out, which have allowed us to seize 3,261 specimens of wild species including birds, mammals and reptiles, in addition to 33,585 packages of various species of fauna and 9,657 cubic meters of wood, species that, when separated from their natural habitat, unbalance ecosystems and contribute to the extinction of species of wild flora and fauna. In this same sense, it is important to mention that due to these actions against the environment, 416 people have been captured so far this year.

Currently, 18 people have been identified within the most wanted cartel who would have arrest warrants against them for crimes of environmental impact associated with invasion of areas of special ecological importance, damage to natural resources, fire, among others. Likewise, aliases Gentil Duarte, Iván Mordisco and Jhon 40 leaders of the GAO-r were formally charged as allegedly responsible for promoting crimes of environmental impact against the Colombian Amazon.

Within the framework of the National Strategy Against Illicit Mining, 1,321 people have been captured, in the same way 3,764 illegal mines have been intervened, where 218 backhoes, 318 dredgers and 1,423 engines were destroyed and seized, added to these results the seizure is praised 190 kilograms of mercury, the most harmful chemical input for the environment, which is used in the illicit exploitation of minerals.

According to data collected on the ground, the 272 backhoes could have deforested 1,372 hectares of forest nationwide, these hectares could absorb more than 33,900 tons of carbon dioxide per year, likewise, the 190 kg of seized mercury could reach contaminate 95 million cubic meters of water.

Bearing in mind that the seizure of hydrocarbons not only undermines the nation’s patrimony, but also destroys the natural resources of our country, the Directorate of Carabineros has made enormous efforts with the capture of 340 people for this crime, as well as the seizure of nearly 11 million gallons of hydrocarbons of different types and the destruction of 78 illegal refineries.

In the execution of the Land Restitution Strategy, 1,680 people have benefited from the delivery of 976 properties in 8,267 accompaniments, which comprise more than 96,600 hectares that were returned to their owners, in 26 departments of the national territory, with which we reaffirm the commitment to the rural communities that saw their rights over the possession of their properties, which in most cases is the only patrimony and family sustenance, harmed.

With our 2,500 horses and 1,260 canines, together with the more than 7,500 police officers who are part of the specialty, we will continue working to improve the provision of police services, in this sense, we are committed to the process of institutional transformation by redesigning our structure, to reach 93.6% of the country’s rural territory and the more than 11 million Colombians who live there with a higher and better quality of service, more than enough reason to continue working for these rural communities, where, thanks to international support, we have delivered three works of community interest that benefit more than 4,500 people in the municipalities of Tarazá, El Bagre, Florencia, La Montañita and Valle del Guamuez.

In the technological aspect, we created the Information System of the Directorate of Police (SIDCAR), together with the Colombian Federation of Cattlemen (FEDEGAN), this technological tool is framed in the Comprehensive Transformation Process of our institution and is part of the Program of Livestock Security, a strategy that will strengthen the police service in rural areas, especially on farms dedicated to cattle ranching. This system will allow ranchers, through the FEDEGAN page, to inform the Integrated Information Center for Rural Security (CI2SR) of any fact or situation of insecurity, in order to deploy the police service for verification. It is important to clarify that this system does not replace the criminal complaint about criminal acts.

The Carabineros are ready to continue providing the police service from the Island of San Andrés to the Amazon, with the camaraderie, integrity and bravery ready to guarantee citizen security, especially in rural areas, protect the environment and safeguard the heritage of the nation and civil society.