Bemposta Dam
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Bemposta 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 ...
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
Douro The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish Soria Province, province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern par ...
, where the river forms the national border line between
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 ...
and
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 ...
. It is located in the municipality
Mogadouro Mogadouro (, ), officially the Town of Mogadouro (; ), is a List of municipalities of Portugal, municipality in Portugal. The population in ''2011'' was 9,542, in an area of 760.65 km2. History The history of Mogadouro is evident in the nu ...
, in
Bragança District Bragança District ( ; ) is a traditional political division of Portugal, in the northeast corner bordering on Spain (Castile and Leon and Galicia), covering 7.4% of the nation's continental landmass. the total resident population was 136,252, ...
, Portugal. Construction of the dam began in 1957. The dam was completed in 1964. It is owned by ''Companhia Portuguesa de Produção de Electricidade'' (CPPE).


Dam

Bemposta Dam is an (height above foundation) and arch dam with a crest altitude of 408 m. The volume of the dam is 316,000 m³. The dam contains four crest
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 (maximum discharge 11,500 m³/s) and one bottom outlet (maximum discharge 200 m³/s).


Reservoir

At full reservoir level of 402 metres the reservoir of the dam () has a surface area of 4.05 km2 and its total capacity is 129 mio. m³ (active capacity 20 mio. m³).


Power plant

The power plant is a
run-of-the-river Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amou ...
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 station. It is owned by CPPE, but operated by EDP.


Bemposta I

Bemposta I has a
nameplate capacity Nameplate capacity, also known as the rated capacity, nominal capacity, installed capacity, maximum effect or gross capacity,MW. Its average annual generation is 924.1 (918, 1,034 or 1,086) GWh. The power station contains three
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 with 79.5 (70) MW each in an
underground powerhouse An underground power station is a type of hydroelectric power station constructed by excavating the major components (e.g. machine hall, penstocks, and tailrace) from rock, rather than the more common surface-based construction methods. One or mo ...
. The turbine rotation is 150 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 59 m, the maximum 71 m. Maximum flow per turbine is 152 m³/s.


Bemposta II

In January 2008 construction began on the Bemposta II power plant. In December 2011 work on an additional underground powerhouse was completed and a further Francis turbine with a 191 MW capacity went online. Its average annual generation is 134 GWh.


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 cat ...


References

{{Douro dams Dams in Portugal Hydroelectric power stations in Portugal Mogadouro Arch dams Dams completed in 1964 Energy infrastructure completed in 1964 1964 establishments in Portugal Buildings and structures in Bragança District Underground power stations Dams on the Douro River Portugal–Spain border