Hydropower plant of Bemposta.

Bemposta is a concrete arch dam and a run-of-the-river power plant established on the Douro river, where it forms the national border line between Spain and Portugal. It is located in the municipality of Mogadouro.

The asset is composed of two underground power plants. Bemposta I has three units with 237 MW installed capacity and was concluded in 1964. Bemposta II, concluded in 2011, with new headrace and tailrace tunnels, has a fourth Francis unit with 202 MW capacity and 134 GWh average annual generation.

The dam, which is 87 meters high and 297 meters of crest length, contains four crest spillways and two bottom outlets. The reservoir has an active storage capacity of 20 million cubic meters of water.

 

Key figures

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  • Installed capacity: 439 MW

  • Average Production: 880 GWh/year

  • Number and power of turbines: 4
    (3 x 79 MW and 1 x 202 MW)

  • Group Type: Simple

Dam & reservoir features

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  • Type: Arch-gravity

  • Material: concrete

  • Height: 87 m

  • Crest length: 297 m

  • Effective storage: 20 million m³