Coca Codo Sinclair Dam, Hydroelectric power station in El Chaco, Ecuador
Coca Codo Sinclair is a hydroelectric facility on the Coca River in El Chaco Canton that generates electricity through eight Pelton turbines. The complex uses a vertical drop of roughly 2,000 feet (610 meters) between the intake and the turbine hall.
Planning for the project started in the 1970s, but construction only began in 2010 under the direction of Chinese company Sinohydro. The facility entered operation in 2016 and marked a turning point in the country's energy supply.
The name comes from a sharp bend in the Coca River that locals called Codo Sinclair, after the American oil geologist Joseph Sinclair, who reached the curve in 1927. Construction generated about 7,739 direct jobs. Since 2015 the plant has fed the National Interconnected System, and in 2022 it produced 6,828.15 GWh, between 25% and 30% of Ecuador's electricity.
The facility is located in a remote area of Napo Province, where access is limited by the rainforest terrain. Visitors should check entry conditions in advance, as industrial infrastructure is often not open to tourists.
Shortly after the facility began operating, erosion issues appeared in the riverbed, leading to technical adjustments. These changes have also affected the downstream landscape and continue to be monitored by researchers.
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