Punta Negra Dam, Concrete-face rock-fill dam and hydroelectric power station in San Juan Province, Argentina

Punta Negra Dam is a concrete-face rock-fill embankment that spans 750 meters across the San Juan River in San Juan Province. The facility operates two Francis turbines for electricity generation and stores water to support agricultural irrigation across the region.

The act authorizing construction was signed on 28 December 2009, and work began on 9 January 2010. The dam was inaugurated in August 2015, with the final works completed on 29 August. It was built as a compensating reservoir 19 km downstream of Los Caracoles Dam, at the site of the former Punta Negra diversion barrage.

The dam shapes the region's economy today by providing jobs in energy production and related industries. For many residents, it represents progress and modernization in San Juan Province.

The dam lies on Provincial Route 12, about 35 km from the city of San Juan, at the boundary between the Ullum and Zonda departments. The access roads wind down the light brown terrain below the downstream face, and the concrete spillway chute descends on the right side of the dam. The site sits in a mountain setting of the Precordillera.

Punta Negra was built as a compensating reservoir for Los Caracoles upstream: its two Francis turbines, 31.1 MW each, run mainly in off-peak hours so the Caracoles plant can generate at peak demand. The dam also traps sediment and moderates floods on the San Juan River.