EPM Closes the Tunnel That Caused the Hidroituango Emergency in 2018

On September 19, the Medellín based energy company EPM closed the right diversion tunnel of Hidroituango. This collapse of this structure caused the downstream emergency at the Hidroituango dam in 2018, which resulted in the temporary evacuation of over 23,000 people, and multimillion dollar cost overruns and delays for the hydroelectric project critical for Colombia’s electrical supply.

John Maya Salazar, general manager of EPM, mentioned that “EPM applied all its capacity and experience to close the right diversion tunnel, using engineering techniques unprecedented in the world and cutting-edge and innovative technology, which today becomes valuable knowledge and learning for its application in other infrastructure projects.”

Hidroituango. Photo by Journalist Loren Moss

Colombian Politicians React

The mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez, celebrated the closure of the Hidroituango tunnel alongside Andrés Julián Rendón, governor of Antioquia, and John Maya, EPM’s manager. According to the mayor, this action “greatly reduces the risks for downstream communities.“

However, the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, spoke at a press conference, stating that “The Hidroituango dam should never have been built, nor should the Quimbo dam. That is the reality.“

In response to this comment, Federico Gutiérrez, through his X account, said: “We definitely envision two very different models for the country. You bet on degrowth, and we bet on growth.”

A Project Surrounded by Scandals

This hydroelectric plant is located on the Cauca River and is the largest in the country; however:

• It cost $11.4 trillion pesos (E2.85 billion USD) but has had cost overruns estimated at $1.5 trillion pesos (375 million USD).
• There were cost overruns due to landslides that delayed it by 20 months and cost $370 billion pesos (92.5 million USD).
• The environmental license for developing the project has been questioned and modified more than 12 times.
• The previous governor Luis Pérez denounced in October of 2018 that the definitive closure of the two main tunnels and the construction of a third were done without authorization from ANLA (National Environmental Licensing Authority).
• The Comptroller’s Office opened a preliminary investigation into EPM for the third tunnel Auxiliary Diversion Gallery (GAD), which began construction in August 2015, but the request to modify the environmental license to do so was submitted in July 2016. 

Nonetheless, according to EPM, as of August of this year, Hidroituango has achieved 93.10% progress. Today, units 1, 2, 3, and 4 are operating, generating 1,200 megawatts of clean and renewable energy for Colombia.

Headline photo: Hidroituango tunnel. provided by Ecopetrol