Hidrocañete owns the Nuevo Imperial hydroelectric power plant with an installed capacity of 3.97 MW, designed to generate up to 33 GWh/year of clean energy. It is located at kilometer 12.5 of the Nuevo Imperial agricultural irrigation canal, which draws its water from the Cañete River (approximately 170 km south of Lima). The hydroelectric plant has been in commercial operation since April 2012, with an effective average power of 3.26 MW and an average generation of 26.53 MWh, displacing 18.652 tCO2e per year.
The hydroelectric plant uses the waters of the Cañete River and in the low water season (May to October) it uses the waters of the 70 MMC Paucarcocha dam, which is regulated to keep the Cañete River above 14 m³/s. The canal where the Nuevo Imperial plant was built exclusively as an irrigation system. The priority of water use is for agriculture and the evacuation of energy produced through the Peruvian National Inter-Connected Electricity Grid (SEIN) at Barra Cantera 220 kV. The energy is sold directly to the Peruvian state. The project has a minimum expected lifetime of 50 years.
Contribution of the project activity to sustainable development
The project contributes to sustainable development by:
- Helping the Peruvian National Inter-Connected Electricity Grid (SEIN) to displace costly power generation by heavy fuel, diesel, coal and natural gas, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Hiring local labour for operations and management.
- Improving local education and technical training opportunities.
- Purification and cleaning of irrigation water.
- Facilitating access to electricity for local users.
- Contributing to Peru's fiscal accounts through tax payments.
- Helping Peru improve its hydrocarbon trade balance through reduced imports of oil for use in electricity generation.
Find out more about the Nuevo Imperial Hydropower Plant and the social benefits associated with it.
