The Diplomat
The construction of the Alto Tâmega hydroelectric power plant continues to progress at a good pace. The civil works are practically finished and the electromechanical assemblies will be completed by the end of 2023, when commissioning will begin.
As reported by Iberdrola on its website, Alto Tâmega, with 160 MW, is the last of the three plants that make up the Tâmega complex. The other two, Gouvães, an 880 MW pumped-storage plant, and Daivões, with 118 MW, have been in commercial operation since 2022.
The dam, which is now fully completed, is 104.5 m high, 220,000 m3 of concrete and 335 m long at the crest. Filling of the reservoir, which will cover an area of 468 ha and a volume of 132 hm3, will begin shortly and will provide the water needed for the production of renewable electricity in the power plant at the foot of the dam, equipped with two groups with a total capacity of 160 MW.
Once the reservoir has been filled this winter, the first synchronisation of one unit to the grid is scheduled for January 2024 and the plant will enter commercial operation in March 2024.
The creation of the reservoir has involved measures to compensate for ecological systems, framed in the EIS of the project, such as the reforestation of more than 1,000 hectares and the planting of 17,000 cork oak trees, among others.
The Tâmega hydroelectric complex is one of the largest energy initiatives in Portugal’s history, with a total investment of more than 1.5 billion euros and an installed capacity of 1,158 MW, 880 of which are reversible.
