Yaté Dam

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Yaté Dam

Barrage de Yate, Nouvelle caledonie 04.JPG

The arch and gravity section of the dam in 2011
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Location of Yaté Dam in New Caledonia
Country France
Location Yaté, South Province, New Caledonia
Coordinates 22°09′06.33″S166°52′52.50″E / 22.1517583°S 166.8812500°E / -22.1517583; 166.8812500 Coordinates: 22°09′06.33″S166°52′52.50″E / 22.1517583°S 166.8812500°E / -22.1517583; 166.8812500
Purpose Power
Status Operational
Construction began 1955
Opening date 1959;59 years ago (1959)
Owner(s) New Caledonian Society Energy (ENERCAL)
Dam and spillways
Impounds Yaté River
Height 61 m (200 ft)
Length 580 m (1,900 ft)
Spillway type Controlled overflow, three tainter gates
Reservoir
Creates Lake Yaté
Total capacity 315,000,000 m3 (255,000 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area 435 km2 (168 sq mi)
Surface area 40 km2 (15 sq mi)
Yaté Hydroelectric Power Station
Coordinates 22°09′12.11″S166°54′40.07″E / 22.1533639°S 166.9111306°E / -22.1533639; 166.9111306
Commission date 1958
Hydraulic head 157 m (515 ft)
Turbines 4 x 17 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity 68 MW
Annual generation 307 GWh

The Yaté Dam is an arch dam on the Yaté River in Yaté commune of New Caledonia, France. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it supports a 68 MW power station. Plans for the project began in the early 1950s and the dam was designed by Coyne et Bellier. The owner and operator of the project, New Caledonian Society Energy (ENERCAL), was established on 27 August 1955 to implement the project. Construction began that year and the power station was commissioned in 1958. The dam and entire scheme was inaugurated by Jacques Soustelle, then Minister of State in charge of Overseas Departments, on 21 September 1959. It is the tallest dam and creates the largest reservoir in New Caledonia. [1]

Arch dam solid dam made of concrete that is curved upstream in plan

An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, compressing and strengthening the structure as it pushes into its foundation or abutments. An arch dam is most suitable for narrow canyons or gorges with steep walls of stable rock to support the structure and stresses. Since they are thinner than any other dam type, they require much less construction material, making them economical and practical in remote areas.

The Yaté River is a river of New Caledonia. It has a catchment area of 450 square kilometres. A major mining area, the Yaté Dam lies near the mouth and the town of Yaté.

New Caledonia overseas territory of France in the southwest Pacific Ocean

New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific Ocean, located to the south of Vanuatu, about 1,210 km (750 mi) east of Australia and 20,000 km (12,000 mi) from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and a few remote islets. The Chesterfield Islands are in the Coral Sea. Locals refer to Grande Terre as Le Caillou.

While the main retaining portion of the dam is an arch design, it also has a concrete gravity section and an earthen and rock-fill section. The arch dam has a height of 60 m (200 ft) and length of 200 m (660 ft). On its left side adjoins the gravity section which serves as a spillway and is 61 m (200 ft) tall. It is 100 m (330 ft) long. The embankment section located direct the northwest of the gravity portion is 280 m (920 ft) long. Water from the dam is diverted through the hillsides via two 2,600 m (8,500 ft) long penstocks to the power station downstream along the Yaté River in the town of Yaté. The difference in elevation between the dam and power station affords a hydraulic head (water drop) of 157 m (515 ft). Within the power station lies four 17 MW Francis turbine-generates which produce an average of 307 GWh annually. [1]

Gravity dam

A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by primarily using the weight of the material alone to resist the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is stable, independent of any other dam section.

Embankment dam large artificial dam

An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay, or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and a dense, impervious core. This makes such a dam impervious to surface or seepage erosion. Such a dam is composed of fragmented independent material particles. The friction and interaction of particles binds the particles together into a stable mass rather than by the use of a cementing substance.

Spillway structure for controlled release of flows from a dam or levee

A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure that the water does not overflow and damage or destroy the dam.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Hydroelectric Yaté". New Caledonian Society Energy (ENERCAL). Retrieved 16 April 2014.
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