Inside Hidroituango: the figures, the delays overcome, and the final gamble of phase 2 to generate 17% of the nation's energy

NewsThe work on the last four turbines is accelerating to shield the national power grid amid a critical energy shortage. Hidroituango phase 2 Photo: EPMJOURNALIST14.11.2026 22:01 Updated: 14.11.2026 22:01 Walking today through the caverns of the machine house at Hidroituango is an exercise in memory to grasp the magnitude of the transformation. This same underground area, which today houses cutting-edge technology and millimeter precision, was completely flooded for exactly 271 days after the severe contingency that put the project's future on edge in 2018. The space where engineers and workers walk today was an impassable, stifling, waterlogged quagmire, completely buried under earth, thick mud, colossal debris barriers, and material accumulated during the emergency, which threatened a definitive collapse. Today, after overcoming the worst predictions, this same setting is the operational heart that already generates about 11% of the energy consumed by the entire country. "I believe this is the project that has suffered the most throughout its execution. All projects have problems, but this is the one that has suffered the most, and yet we hope that by next year we will already have two machines of the second part running," said John Maya Salazar, general manager of EPM. Hidroituango stage 1 Photo: EPM The operational rebirth of this colossus came with the first stage of the project, which comprises generation units one, two, three, and four. The first two turbines broke the mountain's prolonged silence when they began commercial operation between September and October 2022, marking a historic turning point after the darkest years of the crisis. Subsequently, between October and November 2023, the third and fourth units were successfully added, consolidating a firm generation base that dispelled initial fears and demonstrated the absolute technical viability of the hydroelectric complex in the face of nature's most demanding challenges. However, the current core of construction activity is concentrated in the other stage of the project, where phase two is rising at a good pace, with the four most recent turbines, inside this monumental cavern, excavated directly into living rock and later recovered after the contingency. I believe this is the project that has suffered the most throughout its execution Its official dimensions reveal a colossal structure 240 meters long, 23 meters wide, and an imposing 49 meters high —an underground volume exactly equivalent to a seventeen-story building hidden beneath the mountain—. This titanic space was engineered to house a total of eight Francis-type turbines, each with a capacity of 300 megawatts. With overall construction progress at 96.47%, the work fronts of this second phase are deployed intensively in the southern zone of the cavern and in penstock two, combining highly complex civil works with on-site electromechanical assembly. Hidroituango phase 2 Photo: EPM EPM reported that in generation units five, six, and seven, the stationary rings and spiral casings have already been installed —critical components that have passed rigorous water filling tests and hydrostatic tests with highly satisfactory results. Likewise, specialized crews have begun shielding the vertical shafts and are preparing the next monumental milestones, which include the assembly of the rotors and stators in units five and six, while a human army of 4,800 people works nonstop on the different fronts of the plant. According to the technical programming and official schedules, turbines five and six show an advanced installation status exceeding 70% in each, projecting their entry into commercial operation before the end of 2027. Units seven and eight, meanwhile, are progressing in sync to enter operation during the first quarter of 2028. Hidroituango phase 2 Photo: EPM Faced with this panorama of technical development, various institutional voices have emphasized the significance of the work. The mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez, highlighted: "If Hidroituango did not exist, Colombia would already be experiencing a blackout. That's how clear it is. And today we generate with four turbines." The local leader emphasized that the project is not a regional matter, but a fundamental piece for the sovereignty of the entire national territory. Along the same lines, the manager of EPM recalled the difficulties overcome in recent years: "Three years ago we kept insisting, unfortunately with a previous government, and the responses were the opposite —that this project should be de-embanked because it was not viable from an environmental point of view. And we had to fight that battle for three years to reach the point we are living today." The executive also warned about the harsh macroeconomic reality of the power system: "Today we have a firm energy deficit in Colombia this year 2026 of more than 2.5%, next year 4.5, and in 2028, 10%. There are no large-scale projects that can cover that increase in demand." He added that they hope to deliver good news about the operation of the second-phase machines by the end of the second half of next year. Today we have a firm energy deficit in Colombia this year 2026 of more than 2.5%, next year 4.5, and in 2028, 10%. There are no large-scale projects that can cover that increase in demand Complementing this diagnosis, the Minister of Mines and Energy, María Nohemí Arboleda Arango, noted that the country must maintain a strategic line of conscious use of resources: "I believe the country must continue on the line of looking at how it takes advantage of such an important resource as water, and not only water, but all the resources it has," warning that "given the tightness of the system, we are going to live through a period that poses great challenges for us" because "we come from a system that has lost much of the reserve it once had." Currently, Hidroituango operates with four generation units and a total capacity of up to 1,200 MW. To put its capacity in perspective, EPM explained that a single unit can supply energy to serve a population of about 600,000 inhabitants, comparable to a city like Ibagué. "Today Hidroituango reached the 420-meter elevation above sea level, the original design level of the reservoir. Reaching this point, after the authorization of the ANLA and complying with the plant's operating rule, allows us to have a greater water reserve to face the most difficult months of the El Niño phenomenon." With these words, John Maya Salazar, General Manager of EPM, affirmed the importance of this fact that today fills us with pride. — EPM estamos ahí (@EPMestamosahi) November 9, 2026 Two Hidroituango units operating at full capacity can generate up to 600 MW, enough energy to meet a demand like that of Medellín. With its four units, the plant can meet a demand equivalent to that of Antioquia or a city like Bogotá in its residential and industrial zones. When the eight generation units reach full capacity, contributing a total installed capacity of 2,400 megawatts, the megaproject will provide approximately 17% of the energy demanded by all Colombians. What was once completely flooded with mud, debris, and despair is consolidating today, step by step and with millimeter precision, within the same machine house, as the electrical engine that sustains the country's future, autonomy, and energy stability. Follow all the news from Colombia on Facebook and Twitter, or in our weekly newsletter. EL TIEMPO NEWSLETTERS Sign up for our newsletters and receive news in your email according to your interests. Stay informed about what really matters to you. EL TIEMPO GOOGLE NEWS Follow us on GOOGLE NEWS. Always stay up to date with the latest news, coverage, stories, and analysis directly on Google News. EL TIEMPO WHATSAPP Join the El Tiempo channel on WhatsApp to stay up to date with the most relevant news as it happens. EL TIEMPO APP Stay informed with the EL TIEMPO app. Receive the latest news, coverage, stories, and analysis directly on your device. SUBSCRIBE TO THE DIGITAL EDITION Reliable information for you. 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