| Belo Monte Dam | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Main dam | |
  Location of the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil | |
| Official name | Complexo Hidrelétrico Belo Monte |
| Location | Pará, Brazil |
| Coordinates | 3°7′40″S 51°46′33″W / 3.12778°S 51.77583°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 2011 |
| Opening date | 2016 |
| Construction cost | US$18.5 billion (estimated) |
| Owner(s) | Norte Energia, S.A. |
| Operator(s) | Eletronorte |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Composite |
| Impounds | Xingu River |
| Height | Belo Monte: 90 m (295 ft) Pimental: 36 m (118 ft) Bela Vista: 33 m (108 ft)[1] |
| Length | Belo Monte: 3,545 m (11,631 ft) Pimental: 6,248 m (20,499 ft) Bela Vista: 351 m (1,152 ft)[1] |
| Dam volume | Belo Monte and embankments: 25,356,000 m3 (895,438,689 cu ft) Pimental: 4,768,000 m3 (168,380,331 cu ft) Bela Vista: 239,500 m3 (8,457,863 cu ft)[1] |
| Spillways | 2 (Pimental and Bela Vista Dams) |
| Spillway type | Pimental: 17 gates Bela Vista: 4 gates |
| Spillway capacity | Pimental: 47,400 m3/s (1,673,915 cu ft/s) Bela Vista: 14,600 m3/s (515,594 cu ft/s)[1] |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Dos Canais Reservoir (Belo Monte, Bela Vista Dam) Calha Do Xingu Reservoir (Pimental Dam) |
| Total capacity | Dos Canais: 1,889,000,000 m3 (1,531,437 acre⋅ft) Calha Do Xingu: 2,069,000,000 m3 (1,677,366 acre⋅ft)[1] |
| Catchment area | 447.719 km2 (173 sq mi) |
| Surface area | Dos Canais: 108 km2 (42 sq mi) Calha Do Xingu: 333 km2 (129 sq mi)[1] |
| Maximum water depth | 6.2–23.4 m (20.3–76.8 ft) |
| Power Station | |
| Operator(s) | Eletronorte |
| Commission date | November 2019 |
| Hydraulic head | Belo Monte: 89.3 m (293 ft) Pimental: 13.1 m (43 ft)[1] |
| Turbines | Belo Monte: 18 x 611.11 MW Francis turbines Pimental: 6 x 38.85 MW Kaplan bulb turbines |
| Installed capacity | 11,233 MW[2] |
| Annual generation | 39.5 TWh[3] |
The Belo Monte Dam (formerly known as Kararaô) is a hydroelectric dam complex on the northern part of the Xingu River in the state of Pará, Brazil. After its completion, with the installation of its 18th turbine, in November 2019, the installed capacity of the dam complex is 11,233 megawatts (MW), which makes it the second largest hydroelectric dam complex in Brazil and the fifth largest in the world by installed capacity, behind the Three Gorges Dam, Baihetan Dam and the Xiluodu Dam in China and the Brazilian-Paraguayan Itaipu Dam. Considering the oscillations of river flow, guaranteed minimum capacity generation from the Belo Monte Dam would measure 4,571 MW, 39% of its maximum capacity.[4]
Brazil's rapid economic growth over the last decade has provoked a huge demand for new and stable sources of energy, especially to supply its growing industries. In Brazil, hydroelectric power plants produce over 66% of the electrical energy.[5] The Government has decided to construct new hydroelectric dams to guarantee national energy security. However, there was opposition both within Brazil and among the international community to the project's potential construction regarding its economic viability, the generation efficiency of the dams and in particular its impacts on the region's people and environment. In addition, critics worry that construction of the Belo Monte Dam could make the construction of other dams upstream- which could have greater impacts- more viable.
Plans for the dam began in 1975 but were soon shelved due to controversy; they were later revitalized in the late 1990s. In the 2000s, the dam was redesigned, but faced renewed controversy and controversial impact assessments were carried out. On 26 August 2010, a contract was signed with Norte Energia to construct the dam once the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) had issued an installation license. A partial installation license was granted on 26 January 2011 and a full license to construct the dam was issued on 1 June 2011. The licensing process and the dam's construction have been mired in federal court battles; the current ruling is that construction is allowed, because the license is based on five different environmental technical reports[6] and in accordance with the RIMA (Environmental Impact Report, EIA-RIMA) study for Belo Monte.[7]
The first turbines went online on 5 May 2016.[8] As of October 2019 all turbines at Pimental and 17 turbines in main power powerhouse are online with total installed capacity of 10,388.87 MW at Belo Monte site, totaling 10,621.97 with the Pimental site.[9] The power station was completed in November 2019.[10]
- ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference
techspecswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "A história de Belo Monte – Cronologia". Norte Energia (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ Empresa de Pesquisa Energética (2010), Consumo nacional de energia elétrica cresce 8,4% em dezembro Archived 3 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Resenha Mensal do Mercado de Energia Elétrica (In Portuguese), Ano III, no. 28, Janeiro de 2010. Acessada em 2011-12-01.
- ^ "Contrato de concessão №01/2010-mme-UHE Belo Monte" [Concession Contract № 01/2010 Belo Monte Dam] (PDF) (in Portuguese). ANEEL. 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
- ^ "Hydropower made up 66% of Brazil's electricity generation in 2020". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ VIEIRA, Isabel (2011). "Diretora do Ibama diz que licença para Belo Monte teve por base cinco pareceres técnicos" Archived 31 December 2012 at archive.today|language= Portuguese. Agência Brasil, 31 January 2011
- ^ RIMA (2009). "Relatório de Impacto Ambiental do Aproveitamento Hidrelétrico Belo Monte" Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Eletrobrás. May/2009.
- ^ "Dilma inaugura usina hidrelétrica de Belo Monte — Portal Brasil". Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "A história de Belo Monte – Cronologia". Norte Energia (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- ^ "Brazil unveils world's fourth biggest hydropower plant". Agência Brasil. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2020.