Peixoto Dam, also known as Mascarenhas de Moraes Hydroelectric Plant, is a

hydroelectric dam 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 an ...

on the Grande River 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 ...

, Brazil, about west of Delfinópolis. Studies for a dam at the Peixoto site were first carried out in 1947 by the Companhia Paulista de Força e Luz, which obtained rights to develop the site in 1950. The dam was built between 1952 and 1957 with help from the United States and the dam dedicated on April 30, 1957 by Brazilian President

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 ...

. The first two Francis turbine-generators came online in 1957, and eight more were installed by 1968, bringing the plant to its full capacity of . Since 1973, the dam and hydroelectric power plant have been operated by Eletrobras Furnas. Peixoto was the first of a cascade of nine dams to be built on the Grande River. The dam consists of a central concrete arch section flanked by gravity wings, totaling high and long, impounding the long Represa de Peixoto (Peixoto Reservoir), with a storage capacity of and a useful capacity of . The power station is located on the south side of the dam and consists of ten vertical Francis turbines. Water is released from the dam through the power plant and two spillways. The service spillway, located on the north side of the dam, is an overflow structure with 11 gates, providing a maximum capacity of . The auxiliary spillway is located to the south and consists of a concrete chute controlled by two gates, with a capacity of .

References

{{Rio Grande (Brazil) dams , dam=Peixoto Dam, downriver= Luiz Barreto Dam, upriver=

Furnas Dam The Furnas Dam ( pt, Usina Hidrelétrica de Furnas) is a hydroelectric dam in the Minas Gerais state of Brazil. A small settlement was built near the dam with the same name to house the workers during the dam construction. The main purpose of the ...

Dams in Minas Gerais Dams completed in 1957 Gravity dams Dams on the Rio Grande (Paraná River tributary)

See also

References