Alto Lindoso Dam () is a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

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 strengtheni ...

on the

Lima River The Lima River (Portuguese name; known as Limia in Spanish and Galician) runs west from the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain to Portugal, where it enters the Atlantic Ocean at Viana do Castelo, covering . Etymology and history The Roma ...

. 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 ( ) 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 (2006), for a density of 111.8 inha ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. The dam lies in

Peneda-Gerês National Park Peneda-Gerês National Park (, ), also known simply as Gerês, is a national park in Norte Region, Portugal. Created in May 1971, it is the oldest protected area and the only national park in Portugal. It covers an area of , occupying the Distric ...

close to the border with

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. 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), based on an old deal between dictators

General Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republ ...

of Spain and

António de Oliveira Salazar António de Oliveira Salazar (28 April 1889 – 27 July 1970) was a Portuguese statesman, academic, and economist who served as Portugal's President of the Council of Ministers of Portugal, President of the Council of Ministers from 1932 to 1 ...

of Portugal. Residents of the five villages which were going to be drowned by the dam,

Aceredo Lobios is a municipality in the province of Ourense, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of A Baixa Limia. The estimated population in 2021 was 1,672. The town borders Portugal to the south. Drowned villages ...

, 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 where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

. 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 (maximum flood level of ) the reservoir of the dam has a surface area of and its total capacity is . Its active capacity is . Minimum operating level is . With the of water, 224.6 GWh of electricity can be produced. The formerly drowned village of

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. A PSH system stores energy in the form of gravitational potent ...

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

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, maximum effect or gross capacity, (634) MW. Its average annual generation is somewhat more than 900 GWh. 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 pro ...

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

hydraulic head Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a measurement related to liquid pressure (normalized by specific weight) and the liquid elevation above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22, eq.3.2a. It is usually meas ...

is , the maximum . Maximum flow per turbine is /s. As lower reservoir for Alto Lindoso the reservoir of Touvedo dam is used, which is connected via a tailrace tunnel with a length of .

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