The Chalillo Dam is a gravity dam on the Macal River about 33 km (21 mi) south of San Ignacio in Cayo District, Belize. Chalillo Dam's capacity was premeditated to be only 7.0MW. The dam was constructed by Sinohydro of Beijing, China between 2002 and 2005 with the primary purpose of hydroelectric power production. It is owned and operated by Belize Electricity Limited (BEL). The project budget was approximately US 30 million and included at least 350 Belizean construction workers. Its construction generated controversy over its effect on the surrounding rain forest. Two smaller dams, the Mollejon and Vaca, are downstream from the Chalillo Dam.