Sogamoso Dam, Concrete-face rock-fill dam and hydroelectric power station in Santander, Colombia

The Sogamoso Dam is a concrete-face rock-fill dam 190 metres tall and 345 metres wide at its crest, spanning the Sogamoso River in Santander. Its reddish-brown rockfill face meets a concrete spillway on the left bank, controlled by four radial gates above a long chute. The underground power plant houses four 273 MW Francis turbine-generators, giving 820 MW installed capacity.

The project was first discussed in Santander in 1968, with pre-feasibility studies following in 1970 and an initial feasibility study commissioned by ISA in 1973. Law 146 of 1959, promoted by Alfonso Gómez Gómez, had already ordered the central's construction. ISAGEN bought the project from ESSA in 2005, building began in February 2009, the river was diverted in 2011, and the reservoir filled in 2014. President Juan Manuel Santos inaugurated it on 15 January 2015.

The reservoir, Topocoro, is promoted for recreational fishing of tucunaré, tilapia and catfish, as well as boat and jet-ski trips, and is meant to support residents around the plant through tourism services and subsistence fishing. The project relocated 160 families and affected miners inside the reservoir zone and fishers downstream, drawing protests from locals.

The dam sits on the Sogamoso River about 30 km west of Bucaramanga, in a canyon where the Serranía de la Paz meets the river. Its jurisdiction is shared by Girón, Betulia, Zapatoca, Los Santos and San Vicente de Chucurí, with the main facilities at Betulia. The reservoir, Topocoro, is used for boat trips, water sports and fishing for tucunaré, tilapia and catfish.

The reservoir behind the dam, called Topocoro, covers about 7,000 hectares and is the largest in Colombia by storage volume, holding 4,800 million cubic metres. Around it a 100-metre-wide protected strip was set aside, and the water now draws anglers after tucunaré, tilapia and catfish.