Salto Osório Hydroelectric Power Plant Explained

Salto Osório Dam
Name Official:Salto Osório Hydroelectric Power Plant
Dam Crosses:Iguazu River
Location:Osório, Paraná, Brazil
Dam Type:Embankment, rock-fill
Dam Length:750m (2,460feet)
Dam Height:56m (184feet)
Spillway Type:Service, controlled
Spillway Capacity:28000m3/s
Opening:1975
Owner:Tractebel Energia
Res Name:Salto Osório Reservoir
Res Capacity Total:403000000m2 (Live storage)
Res Catchment:45800km2
Res Surface:51km2
Plant Type:C
Plant Turbines:6 x Francis turbines
Plant Capacity:1078MW
Plant Commission:1975-1981
Location Map:Brazil
Coordinates:-25.535°N -53.0092°W

The Salto Osório Hydroelectric Power Plant is a dam and hydroelectric power plant on the Iguazu River near Osório in Paraná, Brazil. It is the second dam upstream of the Iguazu Falls and was completed in 1979.[1] [2] The power station has a 1,078 MW capacity and is supplied with water by a rock-fill embankment dam.

It is owned and operated by Tractebel Energia.

Salto Osório Dam

The Salto Osório Dam is high, long and is of rock-fill embankment type. The dam has two spillways containing 9 wide and wide radial gates and has a maximum capacity of . Each spillway is on the main structure and the northern spillway contains 4 floodgates with 5 located next to the power station. The reservoir formed behind the dam contains 403000000m2 of live storage with a surface area of and a catchment area of . The average flow of the river through the dam is and the normal operating level of the reservoir is above sea level.[3]

Power plant

The power plant at the southern end of the dam contains six hydroelectric generators powered by Francis turbines. Four of the turbines were manufactured by Mitsubishi and the other two turbines were manufactured by Hitachi. Each turbine has a rated discharge of and is fed by a diameter steel penstock which provides a gross hydraulic head of . The first generator was commissioned on October 17, 1975, with another later that year, two in 1976, another in 1980 and the final June 21, 1981.[3] Tractebel Energia, the owners of the power plant began a refurbishment of the turbines in 2005.[4]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Parana River Basin Study Area - Figure 1. The Scientific Electronic Library Online. 11 September 2010. 11 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121011044139/http://www.scielo.br/img/revistas/bjb/v63n4/19182f1.gif. dead.
  2. Web site: Valente. Marcela. Planned Dam Above Famous Falls Draws Fire. IPS. 11 September 2010. March 30, 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110610224238/http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46326. 10 June 2011.
  3. Web site: Technical Specs - HPP Salto Osório - UHSO. Tractebel Energia. 11 September 2010.
  4. Web site: Bearing up under tight deadlines. International Water Power and Dam Construction. 11 September 2010. 24 July 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110614045456/http://www.waterpowermagazine.com/story.asp?sc=2053668. 14 June 2011.