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
![Spain-Rio Lima-P1160723 (25264753003)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Spain-Rio_Lima-P1160723_%2825264753003%29.jpg)
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
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 ...
.
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.
See also
*
List of power stations in Portugal
The following page lists some power stations in Portugal.
Cogeneration
Geothermal
Hydroelectric
Thermal
See also
* List of power stations in Europe
* List of largest power stations in the world
References
{{commons cate ...
*
List of dams and reservoirs in Portugal
This page is a list of dams and reservoirs in Portugal, arranged by NUTS Regions and Subregions:
Norte
Alto Tâmega
* Alto Tâmega Dam
* Daivões Dam
* Gouvães Dam
Cávado
* Caniçada Dam, Parada do Bouro, Vieira do Minho
* Salamonde Dam, ...
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