Irapé Dam, the tallest dam in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
is an
embankment dam
An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and ...
on the
Jequitinhonha River
The Jequitinhonha River () flows mainly through the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Its source lies near Diamantina in the Espinhaço Mountains at an elevation of , after which it flows northward and then east-northeastward across the uplands. A ...
in the state of
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
. It is on the border of
Berilo and
Grão Mogol
Grão Mogol is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 the population was 15,890 in a total area of 3,890 km². The elevation is 829 meters. It became a municipality in 1840.
Location and Distan ...
districts, about west of
Virgem da Lapa
Virgem da Lapa () is a Brazilian municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2020 was estimated to be 13,740 people living in a total area of . The city belongs to the mesoregion of Jequitinhonha and to ...
. The dam was constructed between 2002 and 2006 for the purpose of
hydroelectric power
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
generation.
History
In 1963, the Jequitinhonha River was studied for its hydroelectric potential and the studies were reviewed in 1984. Brazilian power company
CEMIG
CEMIG is a Brazilian power company headquartered in Belo Horizonte capital of the state of Minas Gerais. The company is one of main electricity concessionaires in Brazil, headquartered in the city of Belo Horizonte, capital of the state of Minas G ...
won the bid to build the Irapé Dam in 1998. Construction on the dam began in September 2002 and in September of that year, the power plant was officially renamed
Juscelino Kubitschek
Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira (; 12 September 1902 – 22 August 1976), also known by his initials JK, was a prominent Brazilian politician who served as the 21st president of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. His term was marked by economic prosp ...
Power Plant, after the former President of Brazil.
[ The river diversion was complete by April 2003 with two diameter tunnels; one in length and the other .][ The dam's reservoir began to fill in December 2005][ and the first of the power plant's generators was commissioned on 20 July 2006.][ The second generator was commissioned in August and the third in October 2006. At the time of its completion it was the tallest dam in Brazil.][
]
Design
The dam is a rock-fill-type with a height of and length of . It is built within a steep canyon just upstream of a bend in the river. Total structural volume amounts to about . The reservoir created by the dam has a surface area of . Controlling overflow are three spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...
tunnels. Each diverts water from the reservoir to the eastern side of a bend in the river. Two of the tunnels are located high above the valley while one is at an intermediate height. Each tunnel has a maximum discharge capacity of , making the total maximum discharge capacity of the spillway .
Juscelino Kubitschek Power Plant
Juscelino Kubitschek Power Plant is located at the dam's base and houses three Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency.
The proces ...
-generators for an installed capacity of .[
]
See also
*List of tallest dams in the world
This is a list of the tallest dams in the world over in height. The tallest dam in the world is the Jinping-I Dam, an arch dam in China at . The tallest embankment dam and second tallest dam in the world is the Nurek Dam in Tajikistan. The tall ...
*List of power stations in Brazil
The following page lists the power stations in Brazil.
Coal
Gas and oil fired
Gas Turbines
Internal combustion engines
Nuclear
Hydroelectric
Solar
Wind
See also
*Electricity sector in Brazil
*Energy policy of ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irape Dam
Dams completed in 2006
Dams in Minas Gerais
Rock-filled dams