| Itá Dam | |
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Itá Dam in 2007 |
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| Official name | Itá Hydroelectric Power Plant |
| Location | Itá, Santa Catarina/Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction began | 1980 |
| Opening date | 2000 |
| Construction cost | $1.4 billion USD |
| Owner(s) | Tractebel Energia |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment, concrete face rock-fill |
| Height | 125 m (410 ft) |
| Length | 880 m (2,890 ft) |
| Impounds | Uruguay River |
| Type of spillway | Service, controlled |
| Spillway capacity | 49,940 m3/s (1,764,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Itá Reservoir |
| Capacity | 5,100,000,000 m3 (1.8×1011 cu ft) |
| Catchment area | 45,800 km2 (17,700 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 141 km2 (54 sq mi) |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | 2000-2001 |
| Type | Yes |
| Turbines | 5 x Francis turbines |
| Installed capacity | 1,450 MW |
The Itá Hydroelectric Power Plant is a dam and hydroelectric power plant on the Uruguay River near Itá on the border of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The power station has a 1,450 MW capacity and is supplied with water by a concrete face rock-fill embankment dam. It is owned and operated by Tractebel Energia and produces the equivalent of 60% of the energy consumed in Santa Catarina.[1]
Contents |
The Itá Dam is a 880 m (2,890 ft) long and 125 m (410 ft) high concrete face rock-fill embankment dam with a crest elevation of 375.5 m (1,232 ft) above sea level. The dam's reservoir has a capacity of 5,100,000,000 m3 (1.8×1011 cu ft), surface area of 141 km2 (54 sq mi) and catchment area of 45,800 km2 (17,700 sq mi). The dam supports two spillways, one of its right abutment with six floodgates and another on the ridge to the dam's west, just south of the power plant which has 4 floodgates. Each gate measures 21.8 m (72 ft) wide and 18 m (59 ft) tall and in total, both spillways have a maximum capacity of 49,940 m3/s (1,764,000 cu ft/s). Also on the ridge is the power plant's intake and three axillary dikes to support the reservoir level. The power plant intake is 84.5 m (277 ft) wide and contains five gates that allow water to enter the five penstocks that are 8 m (26 ft) in diameter and average 197 m (646 ft) in length.[2]
The above ground power station is 172.5 m (566 ft) long and 57 m (187 ft) wide and contains five 290 MW generators powered by Francis turbines. The first generator was commissioned in July 2000 and four more later that year with the last generator being commissioned in March 2001.[2]