“The Los Cóndores power plant draws its water from the Laguna del Maule reservoir, which is a multipurpose reservoir—that is, used for irrigation and power generation—so that power generation takes place while the water is being used for irrigation. Thus, the power plant does not alter in any way the historical water release schedule from the Laguna del Maule, nor does it affect the quality of the water released into the Maule River.”
The plant is capable of generating approximately 350 GWh per year, renewable energy that will be fed into the National Electric System, preventing the emission of 70,721 metric tons of CO2. The construction of Los Cóndores was carried out using machinery specifically designed for the project, overcoming challenges such as drilling through a highly heterogeneous volcanic rock mass.
“It was necessary to use two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) based on different technologies, allowing for adaptation to the varied geology of the rock mass and seepage conditions; to excavate a vertical shaft approximately 500 m high using RBM (Raise Boring Machine) technology; and to incorporate a helical-shaped balance shaft—the first of its kind in Chile for this type of project. These solutions are and will continue to be a benchmark for engineering and construction standards in hydroelectric projects in Chile.”
This project strengthens Enel’s presence in the region, one of Chile’s most prolific areas for hydroelectric power generation, with a total of 1,865 MW of installed capacity using this technology—representing approximately 25% of Chile’s total installed hydroelectric capacity as of March 2025. Of that total, more than 1,000 MW come from Enel’s power plants.