Valdecañas reservoir

The Valdecañas reservoir (embalse de Valdecañas, in Spanish) is a reservoir on the Tagus River. It begins in the municipality of El Gordo and ends at the Valdecañas dam, in Belvís de Monroy, in the Province of Cáceres, Spain. Its basin has an area of 36,540 km2 with an average annual water inflow of 4,054 hm³.^{[citation needed]}

Valdecañas reservoir (Embalse de Valdecañas)
Valdecañas reservoir (Embalse de Valdecañas)
Location of Valdecañas reservoir (Embalse de Valdecañas) in Extremadura
Country	Spain
Coordinates	39°46′41″N 5°36′47″W
Owner(s)	Estado español
Upper dam and spillways
Height	98
Upper reservoir
Total capacity	1.446 hm³
Lower dam and spillways
Impounds	Tajo
Power Station
Type	Bóveda

In 2025, the 225 MW pumped-storage hydroelectricity power station opened, combined with a 15 MW / 7.5 MWh battery. The reservoir has a storage capacity of 210 GWh.^[1]

History

Dolmen of Guadalperal.

The reservoir project's construction was started 1957 and completed in 1964.

Beneath its waters is a Bronze Age site with a dolmen that emerges when the waters drop. The Guadalperal dolmen megalithic complex is also called the Spanish Stonehenge for its resemblance to Stonehenge, a megalithic monument located near Amesbury, England.^[2]

Land Use

In 2014, the demolition of a tourist complex known as Isla de Valdecañas was ordered by El Tribunal Supremo, the Supreme Court of Spain. This complex was built within the reservoir, in the area belonging to Natura 2000.^[3]