Alto Lindoso Dam ( pt, Barragem do Alto Lindoso, links=no) is a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

double curvature

arch dam An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengthen ...

on the Lima River. It is located in the municipality

Ponte da Barca Ponte da Barca (; ) is a municipality in the district of Viana do Castelo (district), Viana do Castelo in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 12,061, in an area of 182.11 km2. The present Mayor is Augusto Manuel Dos Reis Marinho, elected by ...

, in

Viana do Castelo District The Viana do Castelo District ( pt, Distrito de Viana do Castelo ) is a district located in the northwest of Portugal, bordered on the north by Spain ( Galicia) and on the south by Braga District. It has an area of and a population of 252,011 (2 ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. The dam lies in

Peneda-Gerês National Park The Peneda-Gerês National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês, ), also known simply as Gerês, is a national park located in northern Portugal. Created in May 1971, it is the oldest protected area and the only national park in Portugal. ...

close to the border with

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The reservoir created by the dam is known as Alto Lindoso reservoir or Lindoso reservoir.

History

Construction of the dam began in 1983. On 15 August 1991 the land behind the dam lying in Spain was compulsorily acquired by Portuguese company EDP (

Electricidade de Portugal EDP - Energias de Portugal (formerly Electricidade de Portugal) is a Portuguese electric utilities company, headquartered in Lisbon. It was founded in 1976 through the merger of 14 nationalised electricity companies. History EDP was founded as ' ...

), based on an old deal between dictators

General Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 193 ...

of Spain and

António de Oliveira Salazar António de Oliveira Salazar (, , ; 28 April 1889 – 27 July 1970) was a Portuguese dictator who served as President of the Council of Ministers from 1932 to 1968. Having come to power under the ("National Dictatorship"), he reframed the re ...

of Portugal. Residents of the five villages which were going to be drowned by the dam, Aceredo, Buscalque, O Bao, A Reloeira and Lantemil, supported by left-leaning political parties, immediately began protests against the building of the dam, including a ten-day

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

. In the end, with no option but to move, the residents of Aceredo (a town with 70 houses and 120 citizens) relocated bodies from their cemetery, and a historic church was moved to a different town. Some moved to nearby villages, others far away. The dam was completed in 1992 and drowned the five villages. It is owned by ''Companhia Portuguesa de Produção de Electricidade'' (CPPE). The dam is used for power production.

Dam

Alto Lindoso Dam is tall (height above foundation) and long double curvature arch dam with a crest altitude of . The width at the base is (crest ). The volume of the dam is . The dam contains two shaft

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 ...

s with three gates each (combined maximum discharge /s) and two bottom outlets (combined maximum discharge /s).

Reservoir

At full reservoir level of 338 m (maximum flood level of 339 m) the reservoir of the dam has a surface area of 10.72 km² and its total capacity is 379.01 million m³. Its active capacity is 347.91 (270) million m³. Minimum operating level is 280 m. With the 347.9 million m³ of water, 224.6

GWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...

of electricity can be produced. The formerly drowned village of Aceredo in 2022 emerged again after prolonged drought.

Power plant

The

pumped-storage Pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH), or pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES), is a type of hydroelectric energy storage used by electric power systems for load balancing. The method stores energy in the form of gravitational potential ...

hydroelectric 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 ...

power plant went operational in 1992. It is owned by CPPE, but operated by EDP. The plant has a

nameplate capacity Nameplate capacity, also known as the rated capacity, nominal capacity, installed capacity, or maximum effect, is the intended full-load sustained output of a facility such as a power station,

of 630 (634) MW. Its average annual generation is somewhat more than 900

. The power station contains 2

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 of 317 MW (350 MVA) each in an underground powerhouse 340 m below the surface. The turbine rotates at 214.3 rpm. The minimum

hydraulic head Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of liquid pressure above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22. It is usually measured as a liquid surface elevation, expressed in units of length, ...

is 227 m, the maximum 288 m. Maximum flow per turbine is 125 m³/s. As lower reservoir for Alto Lindoso the reservoir of

Touvedo dam Touvedo Dam ( pt, Barragem de Touvedo, links=no) is a concrete gravity dam on the Limia. It is located in the municipality Ponte da Barca e Arcos de Valdevez, in Viana do Castelo District, Portugal. Construction of the dam began in 1987. The dam w ...

is used, which is connected via a tailrace tunnel with a length of 4,883 m.

References

{{commons category, Barragem do Alto-Lindoso, Alto Lindoso Dam Dams in Portugal Pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations in Portugal Arch dams Dams completed in 1992 Energy infrastructure completed in 1992 1992 establishments in Portugal Buildings and structures in Viana do Castelo District Reservoirs in Portugal Lima River Ponte da Barca

History

Dam

Reservoir

Power plant

See also

References