SANTIAGO RODRÍGUEZ – In a significant development for national infrastructure, Dominican President Luis Abinader presided over a pivotal ceremony for the Boca de los Ríos Dam project. The event centered on the second strategic diversion of the Guayubín River, signaling the final construction phase of this major hydroelectric initiative managed by the Dominican Hydroelectric Generation Company (Egehid).
At the project site, President Abinader initiated the removal of a temporary cofferdam. This action authorized heavy machinery to carve a new channel, redirecting the river’s flow into specially constructed diversion galleries. This engineered pathway will guide water toward the emerging dam structure for the remainder of the construction period.
José Augusto Caputo, the Project Director, emphasized the operation’s critical nature, stating, ‘This second river diversion represents a fundamental milestone for the project’s advancement and denotes a crucial transition within the construction sequence.’
Egehid’s General Manager, Rafael Salazar, provided technical context, noting that an initial diversion in March 2023 enabled construction crews to build the dam’s primary structure on dry land. He clarified that this latest maneuver will temporarily restore the river to its natural course, channeled through the concrete diversion galleries. Upon project completion, these galleries will be permanently sealed, initiating the reservoir filling process.
Concurrently, this phase enables construction to commence on a lower segment of the closure dam adjoining the main wall. The project also progresses with the arrival of the first three massive radial spillway gates. Each gate, an engineering feat in itself, measures 12 meters in width, 14 meters in height, and weighs roughly 110 tons, with installation preparations now underway.