A vertical hydropower plant built into a cliff — and it requires no dam at all In the steep Andean canyons of central Peru, engineers have created a vertical hydropower system unlike anything before. Instead of damming a river, they’ve built a free-fall water channel carved into a cliff face, directing river water straight down through pressurized tubes to spin turbines at the base. This “zero-dam” approach avoids flooding ecosystems, relocating communities, or disrupting fish migration — common criticisms of traditional hydropower. Instead, it harnesses the natural gravity of the steep terrain. Water is collected via a minimal intake system upstream, flows through vertical shafts over 300 meters deep, and exits with controlled force. The whole station fits into a narrow rock face, barely visible from a distance. This innovation comes from Peru’s growing effort to reduce carbon without harming biodiversity-rich regions like the Amazon basin. It’s small-footprint, high-yield hydropower — shaped by the land, not forced onto it.