Somos: EnergÃa
Fortis Belize posee y opera tres instalaciones hidroeléctricas ubicadas en el rÃo Macal y genera hasta el 40% de la demanda total de energÃa en Belice. Somos expertos en energÃa comprometidos con la generación de energÃa renovable confiable, de manera segura y ambientalmente responsable. Creemos en la creación de un futuro brillante utilizando fuentes sostenibles impulsadas por la naturaleza que ayuden a construir un Belice mejor y más resistente.
Nuestras facilidades
Fortis Belize operates three hydroelectric facilities on the Macal River in western Belize – the Mollejon, Chalillo, and Vaca dams. The Mollejon and Vaca facilities operate using a run-of-river system, with limited water storage and relying heavily on river flows. Chalillo uses a storage system where water accumulates in a reservoir created by the dam on the river, and the water is released through hydro turbines to generate electricity. The water then cascades to Mollejon and Vaca for those facilities to generate electricity.
The water used for power generation passes through unchanged and remains safe for agricultural and recreational use in our communities; the location of the dams helps minimize the risk of flooding to downstream communities. All Fortis Belize facilities operate following ISO 14001 Environmental Standards and OHSA’S 18001 Occupational Health & Safety Standards.
Hydroelectricity generation is one of the world’s oldest renewable energy sources and helps Belize to avoid a considerable amount of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Hydroelectricity also helps to stabilize electricity prices and reduces dependency on foreign oil and energy.
Mollejon
The Mollejon Dam was built in 1995 on the Macal River near Mollejon Creek and is the country’s first commercial hydroelectric facility. Fortis took over operation of the facility in 2001 and it currently generates over 25.2 MW of electricity.
Mollejon impounds 1.71 million cubic meters (451.7 million gallons) of water and has live storage totaling 1.06 million cubic meters (280 million gallons) of water.
Chalillo
Chalillo was built by Fortis in 2005 and generates 7.3 MW of energy. It is located on the Macal River near the Raspaculo tributary.
The Chalillo Dam impounds 124 million cubic meters (32.8 billion gallons) of water and has a live storage capacity of 120 million cubic meters (31.7 billion gallons). This facility also serves as a water storage facility for Mollejon and Vaca downstream.
Vaca
The Vaca hydroelectric facility, located in the Vaca Plateau, is the last dam on the Macal River and generates 19 MW of electricity. This is the newest facility built by Fortis and was commissioned in 2010.
Vaca was designed to serve during higher electricity demand periods and in the dry season. It impounds 10.5 million cubic meters (2.8 billion gallons) of water and has live storage totaling 1.25 million cubic meters (330.2 million gallons).