CONSTRUCTION OF THE 270MW El Platanal hydro plant in Peru is to start in the second half of 2002, and is expected to be on line by the end of 2005. When completed, El Platanal will become the country’s second-biggest hydroelectric plant after the 1008MW Mantaro, which is to be privatised in 2003.
The US$340M El Platanal project is promoted by a consortium consisting of cement producers, Cementos Lima, Cemento Andina, and Tecnologia Industria. The three companies have assumed 40% of the project’s total cost, with the remainder being financed by foreign firms and banks.
El Patanal is to be built south of Lima on the Canete river. The project is expected to provide irrigation water for some 27,000ha of farmland.