Mexico publishes bid guidelines for massive new dam

Mexico has published guidelines for the construction of La Yesca, which will be the nation's largest hydroelectrical plant that could create 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, the Mexican government announced Tuesday.

The Federal Electricity Commission said the reservoir would have a 220-meter boundary wall, the tallest in the world of its type. It will dam up nearly 2.4 billion cubic meters of water, equivalent to two years of Mexican water consumption.

The bidding targets include the construction of a concrete dam curtain, work related to it, and the installation of two 375-MW hydroelectrical units. The successful bidders will be announced on July 31.

The reservoir will be on the Santiago River on the border between the Mexican states of Jalisco and Nayarit, with the capacity to generate 750MW, equivalent to 12.5 million lightbulbs.
Mexican former President Vicente Fox, who left office last November, said last year the building work could draw some 850 million U.S. dollars to the area.