Santo Antônio Plant


Credit: José Lins


The Santo Antônio Hydroelectric Power Plant. located on the Madeira River and with headquarters in the city of Porto Velho (RO), has 50 bulb-type turbines that provide a minimum installed capacity of 3,568.8 MW and an average guaranteed energy of 2,424.2 MW.

Ranked the fourth largest hydroelectric power plant in Brazil, the project was developed by a Specific Purpose Company (SPE) called Santo Antônio Energia S.A. (SAESA), a parent company of SPE Madeira Energia S.A. (MESA) whose shareholders include FURNAS Centrais Elétricas S.A. (39%);

Odebrecht Energia do Brasil S.A. (18.6%); SAAG Investimentos S.A. (12.4%); Cemig Geração e Transmissão S.A. (10%); and Caixa Fundo de Investimentos em Participações Amazônia Energia (20%). Construction of the Santo Antônio HEP began in September 2008 and it came online in March 2012. The Plant was completed on January 3, 2017, with sufficient capacity to supply approximately 45 million people.

In addition to 44 turbines supplying the southeast and other regions of the country, six other turbines are dedicated exclusively to Rondônia and Acre, helping support the safety and stability of the regional electricity system.

The project was developed in line with environmental legislation and the Ecuador Principles. The use of "bulb" type turbines which, alongside the concept of a run-of-river reservoir, significantly reduces the reservoir’s area, which means the Santo Antônio HEP has an outstanding ratio between flooded area and power output.


Linked connection system

The Santo Antônio Hydroelectric Power Plant is connected to the National Interconnected System (SIN) by two high voltage (600 kV) and direct current transmission lines.

Another 230 kV line was built exclusively to meet demand in Rondônia and Acre. The 2,375 km lines - the longest in the world - connect the converter substation in the city of Porto Velho (RO) to the Araraquara substation, in the state of São Paulo, crossing five states and 90 cities.

Output from the Santo Antônio Hydroelectric Power Plant joins the National Interconnected System (SIN) at the Araraquara substation and is distributed to consumers across the country. This transmission system provides a complete connection between the state of Rondônia and the SIN, also partially supported by the Acre-Rondônia system.

This connection increases the quality and reliability of electricity supplies and means local thermal plants can be deactivated.


Technical Data


Dam

  • Type: roller-compacted concrete and soil/mix
  • Maximum height: 44.5 m
  • Water Intake: gravity


Left bank gravity damming

  • Structure/material type: RCC
  • Total ridge length: 130 m
  • Maximum height: 34 m
  • Ridge height: 76 m
  • Standard concrete: 4,300 m³
  • Roller-compacted concrete: RCC 81,900 m³


Right bank gravity damming

  • Structure/material type: RCC
  • Total ridge length: 425 m
  • Maximum height: 44.5 m
  • Ridge height: 76 m
  • Standard concrete: 3,800 m³
  • RCC Roller-compacted concrete: 71,100 m³


Left bank closing landfill

  • Structure/material type: soil/mixed dam material
  • Total ridge length: 85 m
  • Maximum height: 28.5 m
  • Ridge height: 76 m
  • Compact soil: 431,300 m³
  • Transitions and filters (t1 and t3): 9,100 m³
  • Sprayed concrete: 500 m³
  • Compacted riprap: 3,100,000 m³
  • Total volume: 3,540,400 m³


Concrete walls - Walls dividing adduction channels (between CF-20 and 21 and CF-9 and VT),

  • Structure/material type: RCC
  • Total ridge length: 301 m
  • Maximum height: 49.5 m
  • Ridge height: 73.5 m
  • Standard concrete: 5,580 m³
  • RCC Roller-compacted concrete: 6,140 m³


Right-side wall of the main spillway

  • Structure/material type: RCC
  • Ridge length: 283 m upstream and 78 m downstream
  • Maximum height: 34 m
  • Ridge crest: 73.50 m upstream and 65.8 m downstream
  • Standard concrete: 4 thousand m³
  • RCC Roller-compacted concrete: 36,100 m³


Right-side wall of the ancillary spillway (downstream)

  • Structure/material type: concrete mass
  • Total ridge length: 81 m
  • Maximum height: 10 m
  • Ridge height: 58.5 m
  • Concrete mass: 3,650 m³


Proximity walls (water intake 1, 9, 20, 21, 32, 33 e 44)

  • Structure/material type: RCC
  • Total ridge length: 504 m
  • Maximum height: 49.5 m
  • Ridge height: 73.50 m
  • Standard concrete: 8,900 m³
  • RCC Roller-compacted concrete: 34,950 m³


Left-side wall of the ancillary spillway (upstream)

  • Structure/material type: stone/concrete
  • Total ridge length: 14.5 m
  • Maximum height: 34 m
  • Ridge height: 73.50 m
  • Standard concrete: 1,900 m³


Water Intake

  • Type: attached to the powerhouse
  • Total length: 935 m
  • Number of spans: 44
  • Stone excavation: 70 thousand m
  • Concrete: 390,700 m³


Reservoir details

  • Reservoir area: 546 km²
  • Normal maximum level: 71.3 m
  • Normal minimum level: 70.5 m
  • Reservoir lifespan: >100 years
  • Perimeter 1,071 km
  • Average reservoir depth: 11.50 m
  • Maximum reservoir depth: 27.50m
  • Reservoir filling time: 7.5 days
  • Normal NA volume: 2.888x106 m³
  • Maximum normal NA flooded area: 350.03 km²
  • Maximum NA flooded area: 518.82 km²


Gates

  • Type: cofferdam
  • Drive system: overhead crane
  • Width: 7.26 m
  • Height: 18.38 m


Water channel

  • Width next to the structure: 935 m
  • Standard excavation: 7,891,500 m³
  • Stone excavation: 2,589,115 m³


Spillway

  • Type: creager-type low sill with an 84,000 m³/s outflow (rt=10000 years)
  • Floor elevation: 47.5 m
  • Number of spans: 18
  • Span width: 20 m
  • Total length: 440 m
  • Standard excavation: 452 thousand m³
  • Stone excavation: 782,640 m³


Proximity channel

  • Width next to the structure: 440 m
  • Standard excavation: 1,207,500 m³
  • Over ground stone excavation: 3,517,450 m³


Return channel

  • Width next to the structure: 440 m
  • Standard excavation: 7,778,240 m³
  • Stone excavation: 4,792,150 m³


Transmission Line

  • Number of units: 50
  • Block width: 42.5 m
  • Block height: 52 m
  • Block length: 64 m
  • Total length: 1,179.0 m
  • Standard excavation: 2,350 m³
  • Stone excavation: 352,508 m³
  • Standard concrete: 1,145,252 m³
  • Concrete mass: 49,500 m³
  • Roller-compacted concrete (RCC) 446 thousand m³


Gates

  • Type: sliding door
  • Drive system: hydraulic cylinder
  • Width: 15.43 m
  • Height: 14.28m


Escape channel

  • Width next to the structure: 1,019 m
  • Total length: 2,149 m
  • Standard excavation: 13,280,700 m³
  • Soft soil excavation: 4,440,000 m³
  • Stone excavation: 5,709,226 m³
  • Compact landfill: 431,300 m³
  • Compact riprap: 3,100,000 m³


Generator units

  • Quantity: 50
  • Rated capacity per unit: 50 bulb turbines: 26 x 69.59 MW and 24 x 73.29 MW


Turbines

  • Type: bulb with kaplan rotor


Generators

  • Frequency: 60 Hz
  • Rated voltage: 13,800 V
  • Total operating capacity: 3,568.3 KW
  • Power factor: 0.9
  • Maximum Yield: 98.19%
  • Manufacturer: Siemens