Irapé Dam

Irapé Dam, the tallest dam in Brazil, is an embankment dam on the Jequitinhonha River in the state of Minas Gerais. It is on the border of Berilo and Grão Mogol districts, about west of Virgem da Lapa. The dam was constructed between 2002 and 2006 for the purpose of hydroelectric power generation.

History

In 1963, the Jequitinhonha River was studied for its hydroelectric potential and the studies were reviewed in 1984. Brazilian power company CEMIG won the bid to build the Irapé Dam in 1998. Construction on the dam began in September 2002 and in September of that year, the power plant was officially renamed Juscelino Kubitschek Power Plant, after the former President of Brazil. The river diversion was complete by April 2003 with two diameter tunnels; one in length and the other. The dam's reservoir began to fill in December 2005 and the first of the power plant's generators was commissioned on 20 July 2006. The second generator was commissioned in August and the third in October 2006. At the time of its completion it was the tallest dam in Brazil.

Design

The dam is a rock-fill-type with a height of and length of. It is built within a steep canyon just upstream of a bend in the river. Total structural volume amounts to about. The reservoir created by the dam has a surface area of. Controlling overflow are three spillway tunnels. Each diverts water from the reservoir to the eastern side of a bend in the river. Two of the tunnels are located high above the valley while one is at an intermediate height. Each tunnel has a maximum discharge capacity of, making the total maximum discharge capacity of the spillway.

Juscelino Kubitschek Power Plant

Juscelino Kubitschek Power Plant is located at the dam's base and houses three Francis turbine-generators for an installed capacity of. The generators are rated to operate at though, providing a maximum capacity of.