Luiz Carlos Barreto de Carvalho Plant


Credit: AC Júnior


This is one of the five FURNAS plants capable of producing over 1,000 MW. In 1962, FURNAS was tasked with completing the feasibility assessments for the Estreito Power Plant (the plant’s former name). Construction began in 1963, the same time the Furnas Plant began operating. The first unit came online in March 1969 and was a significant milestone due to the significant number of Brazilian manufacturers and contractors involved and the strict compliance with project’s the initial timetable.

The Luiz Carlos Barreto de Carvalho reservoir normally operates at an almost constant level, thanks to the flow regulation provided by the Furnas Plant upstream. When it was first built, the Estreito Plant offered one of the lowest costs per installed kW in the world due to the characteristics of its reservoir (water level), which meant little was spent on expropriation.

Inaugurated in 1969, the plant is located in the city of Pedregulho, near Franca, in São Paulo and has six turbines that provide 1,050 MW of total installed capacity, enough to supply 20 cities of this size.


Technical Data


Dam

  • Type: riprap with clay core
  • Maximum height: 92 m
  • Development at the crown: 535 m
  • Width at crown: 15.8 m
  • Elevation at crown: 629 m
  • Total volume: 4,290,000 m³


Reservoir

  • Normal operating level: 622.5 m
  • Maximum flood level: 626.64 m
  • Level of expropriation: 626.3 m
  • Minimum operating level: 618.50 m
  • Flooded area: 46.7 km²
  • Total volume: 1.418 billion m³
  • Usable volume: 0.178 billion m³


Water Intake

  • Sliding gates
  • Quantity: 6
  • Water height on sill: 19 m
  • Width: 6.8 m
  • Height: 10.8 m
  • Manufacturers: Riva Calzoni (Italy) and Coemsa (Brazil)


Spillway

  • Maximum Discharge: 13,000 m³/s
  • Segmented gates
  • Quantity: 6
  • Width: 11.5 m
  • Height: 16.5 m
  • Radius: 16 m
  • Manufacturers: ATB (Italy) and Badoni (Brazil)


Powerhouse

  • Type: sheltered
  • Size: 177 m x 24.2 m
  • Generator units: 6
  • Rotation: 112.5 RPM
  • Rated capacity: 175 MW


Turbines

  • Type - Vertical axis Francis
  • Rotor diameter: 5.8 m
  • Manufacturer: Voith Consortium (Brazil and Germany)


Generators

  • Frequency: 60 Hz
  • Terminal voltage: 13.8 Kv
  • Manufacturer: ASEA (Brazil and Sweden)
  • Transformers: 20 (operation + back-up)
  • Type: single-phase
  • Total operating capacity: 1,199.88 MVA
  • Transformation ratio: 13.8 / 345 kV
  • Manufacturers: Jeumont Schneider (France), ACEC (Belgium) and COEMSA