Cortes-La Muela Reservoir

Cortes-La Muela Reservoir
Cortes-La Muela Reservoir
	View from the Cortes de Pallás Muela.
	Interactive map of Cortes-La Muela Reservoir
Location	Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain
Coordinates	39°14′16″N 0°55′40″W / 39.23778°N 0.92778°W
Purpose	Hydroelectric and tourist
Status	Operational
Construction began	1983
Opening date	1988; 2013 (Expansion);
Construction cost	€1.2 billion
Owner	Iberdrola
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Arch dam
Impounds	Júcar River
Height	116 m (381 ft)
Length	312 m (1,024 ft)
Elevation at crest	332 m (1,089 ft)
Reservoir
Creates	Cortes Reservoir
Total capacity	Reservoir: 116 hm3 (94,000 acre⋅ft); Upper: 23 hm3 (19,000 acre⋅ft);
Catchment area	17,149 km2 (6,621 sq mi)
Surface area	115 ha (0.44 sq mi)
Power Station
Operator	Iberdrola
Commission date	1988 (Cortes II); 1988 (La Muela I); 2013 (La Muela II);
Type	Conventional (C II); Pumped-storage (LM I & II);
Turbines	2 Francis R (C II); 3 Francis L (LM I); 4 Francis L (LM II);
Installed capacity	290.5 MW (389,600 hp); (C II); 634.8 MW (851,300 hp); (LM I); 881.73 MW (1,182,420 hp); (LM II);
Annual generation	5,000 GWh (18,000 TJ)

Cortes-La Muela Reservoir (sometimes referred to as Cortes II Reservoir) is an arch dam and hydroelectric project built on the mid-course of the Júcar River, located in the town of Cortes de Pallás, within the province of Valencia, in the Valencian Community, Spain.

As of 2018, it was the largest pumped hydroelectric storage plant in Europe. The project comprises a dam and large reservoir, a conventional hydroelectric power station and two underground pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations that, together, generate approximately 5,000 GWh (18,000 TJ) per annum.