| South America
Hydro innovation in Mexico
More efficient hydrological analysis and floating photovoltaic systems are becoming noteworthy topics in the Mexican hydro industry.
BY UTILISING A SUITE OF open-source software tools, recent research has shown how design flood computation time can be reduced by 93–96%, while maintaining methodological rigor and reproducibility. Such efficiency gain has transformed what was previously a labour-intensive, infrequently performed task into a rapid, repeatable procedure that aligns with ICOLD’s five-year safety review recommendations. This framework was applied to the El Caracol, Infiernillo, and Villita dams within the Balsas River hydroelectric system in southwestern Mexico which is managed by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). As Arganis et al explain in their research published in
Water, the El Caracol dam, located upstream of Infiernillo, operates with a primary focus on flow regulation to minimise discharge to downstream infrastructure. With a storage capacity of approximately 1.1 billion m3
, it plays
a crucial role in regulating extreme floods toward the Infiernillo dam, especially during the rainy season. Inaugurated in 1964, the Infiernillo dam is the largest in
the system and has a storage capacity of over 12 billion m3
. However, cavitation damage in the tunnels due to spillway operations during flood events is becoming problematic, significantly deteriorating concrete surfaces an dpossibly jeopardising the operation and structural safety of the dam. The Villita dam is the smallest in the system and primarily used to regulate the flows released by the two previous dams. Although its capacity is smaller, its function is essential to ensure safe discharges to the agricultural and industrial areas near the Balsas River channel. Within the current operating conditions of the Balsas River reservoir system, El Caracol is heavily silted and has almost no effective storage remaining, meaning that most of its inflow is immediately routed downstream to El Infiernillo. Consequently, El Infiernillo has become the dominant regulating structure in the cascade, effectively governing the hydrographs that later enter La Villita, whose contributing basin is very small and with inflows largely corresponding to the routed releases from Infiernillo.
Although there is long-term delta recession caused by sediment trapping in El Infiernillo and La Villita, the authors stress their present study remained focused exclusively on hydrologic behaviour and reservoir operation, without incorporating sediment transport modelling or dynamic hydraulic equations. The authors say they developed and validated a novel, semi-automated, open-source framework that advances the scientific basis for dam safety assessments, providing a cost-effective, transferable tool that can be applied to other reservoir systems globally to support regular safety reassessments and inform long-term spillway design strategies. By demonstrating, they add that rigorous hydrological analysis can be performed efficiently with
open-source tools, this work supports the broader goal of making dam safety assessments more accessible, frequent, and scientifically robust worldwide. In practical terms, the proposed methodology can be applied to other reservoir systems where reliable inflow records, elevation–storage curves, and well-defined discharge policies are available. Its structured integration of hydrologic frequency analysis, design hydrograph generation, and controlled flood routing offers a practical tool for both infrastructure design and operational reassessment.
Floating options In the south of Mexico, the national power grid is currently
under significant stress due to population density and growth, increased industrial activity, and limited expansion of energy infrastructure. Ageing transmission lines and congested substations have increasingly resulted in grid overloads, with voltage instability and scheduled blackouts becoming more common during periods of peak demand and extreme heat. And with land resources a limiting factor, floating photovoltaics (FPV) are being viewed as a promising solution to the problem. By utilising underused water surfaces such as reservoirs and dams for solar energy generation, FPV can mitigate land-use conflicts while contributing to grid resilience. A study by Rasooli et al has carried out spatial, climatic,
technical, and economic analyses to assess the viability of deploying an FPV system on the Valsequillo Dam in central Mexico, a large reservoir without any energy infrastructure. Indeed, taking into consideration its access to both extensive coastlines and hydropower reservoirs, the authors also believe FPV systems have the potential to become a sustainable option in Mexico’s transition to cleaner energy.
Above: The Infiernillo hydroelectric power plant and dam in Michoacán, Mexico.
References
Updating the Design Floods and Reviewing the Operation of Spillways on the Balsas River Dams Using Free Software for Novel Automation. Maritza Arganis, Cristian López, Juan Aquino, Faustino De Luna, Javier Osnaya, Ramón Domínguez, Eliseo Carrizosa, Rosalva Mendoza and Margarita Preciado. Water 2026, 18, 581
https://doi.org/10.3390/ w18050581
Techno-economic assessment of floating photovoltaic systems to strengthen local energy security: A case study of the Valsequillo Dam, Mexico. Shahin Rasooli, Shahrzad Farhoodi, Catalina Spataru, Mexitli Sandoval-Reyes, Pabel Antonio Cervantes-Avilés, Carlos Alberto Huerta-Aguilar. Energy for Sustainable Development. Volume 89, December 2025, 101883. https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2025.101883
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