The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and its power plant has an installed capacity of 820 megawatts (1,100,000 hp) which increased Colombia's generating capacity by 10 percent.

[1] Construction on the dam began in February 2009 and its first 273 MW Francis turbine-generator was commissioned on 1 December 2014.

INGETEC designed the dam in the 1990s and Impreglio was awarded the contract for construction.

[7] The dam has been the subject of protests among locals as it relocated 160 families and negatively impact the livelihood of miners within the reservoir zone and fishers downstream.

Relocation of the residents, construction of a new bridges and roads will cost US$202 million.