Salto Santiago Hydroelectric Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Salto Santiago Hydroelectric Power Plant is dam
and hydroelectric power plant on the Iguazu River
near Santiago in Paraná
, Brazil
. It is the third dam upstream of the Iguazu Falls
and was completed in 1979. The power station has a 1,420 MW capacity and is supplied with water by a rock-fill embankment dam
.
It is owned and operated by Tractebel Energia
.
s contains 9 21.5 m (70.5 ft) wide and 15.3 m (50.2 ft) wide radial gates and has a maximum capacity of 24000 m3/s. The reservoir formed behind the dam contains 4094000000 cubic metre of total storage with a surface area of 208 square kilometre and a catchment area
of 43330 square kilometre. The average flow of the river through the dam is 902 m3/s and the reservoir has a normal operating level of 506 m (1,660.1 ft).
s. Each turbine has a rated discharge of 346 m3/s and is fed by a 7.6 m (24.9 ft) diameter steel penstock
which provides a gross hydraulic head
of 106 m (347.8 ft). The remaining two penstocks are intended for future generators with a plant expansion. The first generator was commissioned on December 31, 1980, with another in 1981, two in 1982 the last of which was commissioned on September 16, 1982.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
and hydroelectric power plant on the Iguazu River
Iguazu River
The Iguazu River is a river in Brazil and Argentina. It is an important tributary of the Paraná River. The Iguazu River is long, with a drainage basin of .-Course:...
near Santiago in Paraná
Paraná (state)
Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. It is the third dam upstream of the Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls, Iguassu Falls, or Iguaçu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian State of Paraná and the Argentine Province of Misiones. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River originates near the city of Curitiba. It flows...
and was completed in 1979. The power station has a 1,420 MW capacity and is supplied with water by a rock-fill embankment dam
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
.
It is owned and operated by Tractebel Energia
Tractebel Energia
Tractebel Energia is a major Brazilian utility company, headquartered in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. It is the largest private electricity producer in Brazil. Its 11 plants, six of them hydroelectric and the remainder thermal, have an installed capacity of 6,977 MW in operations ave an...
.
The dam
The Salto Santiago Dam is 80 m (262.5 ft) high, 1400 m (4,593.2 ft) long and is of rock-fill embankment type, comprising 518200 cubic metre in concrete structure. The dam's spillwaySpillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
s contains 9 21.5 m (70.5 ft) wide and 15.3 m (50.2 ft) wide radial gates and has a maximum capacity of 24000 m3/s. The reservoir formed behind the dam contains 4094000000 cubic metre of total storage with a surface area of 208 square kilometre and a catchment area
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of 43330 square kilometre. The average flow of the river through the dam is 902 m3/s and the reservoir has a normal operating level of 506 m (1,660.1 ft).
Power plant
The power plant at the southern end of the dam contains four 355 MW hydroelectric generators powered by Francis turbineFrancis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....
s. Each turbine has a rated discharge of 346 m3/s and is fed by a 7.6 m (24.9 ft) diameter steel penstock
Penstock
A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydraulic turbines and sewerage systems. It is a term that has been inherited from the technology of wooden watermills....
which provides a gross hydraulic head
Hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of water pressure above a geodetic datum. It is usually measured as a water surface elevation, expressed in units of length, at the entrance of a piezometer...
of 106 m (347.8 ft). The remaining two penstocks are intended for future generators with a plant expansion. The first generator was commissioned on December 31, 1980, with another in 1981, two in 1982 the last of which was commissioned on September 16, 1982.
See also
- Governor Bento Munhoz da Rocha Netto Hydroelectric Plant
- Governor Ney Braga de Barros Hydroelectric Plant
- Salto Osório Hydroelectric Power PlantSalto Osório Hydroelectric Power PlantThe 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...
- Governor José Richa Hydroelectric Plant
- List of power stations in Brazil