Iberdrola begins filling the Alto Tâmega reservoir.

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Hydroelectric power plants are the most essential and efficient source of renewable energy generation. Hydropower is the world's largest renewable electricity source that can meet peak electricity demand and is also cost-effective in the long run.

Spain-based wind energy producer and one of the largest energy companies, Iberdrola is building the Alto Tamega dam. Now the company has started the process of filling the Alto Tamega reservoir.

The Alto Tâmega Dam is a double-vaulted arch dam 104.5 m high, 220,000 m3 of concrete and 335 m long. The dam has a reservoir of 468 hectares and a volume of 132 cubic hectometers. This dam is located on the Tâmega River in the municipalities of Ribeira de Pena and Vila Pouca de Aguiar in the district of Vila Real, Portugal.

When the dam is full, it will supply the water needed to generate renewable electricity at the Alto Tâmega power plant. It has two side channels with a combined discharge capacity of 1,825 cubic met  Special Data  ers per second, which prevent the dam from overflowing.



The dam 's hydroelectric power generation unit consists of two 80MW turbine units with a maximum flow rate of 200 cubic meters per second, generating 139 GWh of electricity per year.

The construction of the dam has been carried out in 21 blocks, each divided into sections 2 meters high. That helped complete the concreting of the dam in less than two years and was completed by the end of 2022. When the Alto Tâmega Hydroelectric Power Station was in the construction phase, the company employed more than 1,000 workers on site.

During the month of July the river diversion tunnel was closed. Over the next three months, a 28 meter long concrete plug will be constructed inside the tunnel to ensure closure of the diversion tunnel for the entire life of the facility. In these three months, the river flow will continue through the base of the dam.

Iberdrola signed a 70-year concession with the Portuguese government in July 2014. The project is part of the broader Tâmega hydroelectric power generation group composed of 3 dams and three plants, including the Alto Tâmega, Daivões and Gouvães dams. The other two dams, Gouvães, which generates 880 MW of electricity with pumped storage plants, and Daivões, which generates 118 MW of electricity, are projects in commercial operation as of 2022.