| Alcantara Dam | |
|---|---|
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| Coordinates | |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 1969 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Buttress |
| Height | 130 m (427 ft) |
| Length | 570 m (1,870 ft) |
| Volume | 956,000 m3 (1,250,401 cu yd) |
| Spillways | 2 |
| Spillway capacity | 8,000 m3/s (282,517 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Capacity | 3,160,000,000 m3 (2,561,854 acre·ft) |
| Catchment area | 51,916 km2 (20,045 sq mi) [1] |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | 1969-1970 |
| Turbines | 4 x 229 MW Francis-type |
| Installed capacity | 916 MW[2] |
The Alcantara Dam, also known as the Jose María de Oriol Dam, in Spain, regulates much of the flow of the Tagus River, the longest of the Iberian Peninsula, just before the river enters Portugal.[3][4] It was built in 1969 and is the second largest reservoir in Europe.[5][6] While the dam was built to ease the severe droughts in the area, the droughts only became worse on the Portuguese side of the dam after its creation.[7]
The famous Roman Alcántara Bridge is located only 600 m downstream.