Belo Monte Dam
| Belo Monte Dam | |
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CGI rendition of the main dam, Belo Monte
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 Location of the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil
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| Official name | Complexo Hidrelétrico Belo Monte |
| Location | Pará, Brazil |
| Coordinates | 3°6′57″S 51°47′45″W / 3.11583°S 51.79583°WCoordinates: 3°6′57″S 51°47′45″W / 3.11583°S 51.79583°W |
| Status | Under construction |
| Construction began | 2011 |
| Opening date | 2016-2019 est. |
| Construction cost | US$18.5 billion (estimated) |
| Owner(s) | Norte Energia, S.A. |
| Operator(s) | Eletronorte |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Composite |
| Impounds | Xingu River |
| Height | Belo Monte: 90 m (295 ft) Pimental: 36 m (118 ft) Bela Vista: 33 m (108 ft) |
| Length | Belo Monte: 3,545 m (11,631 ft) Pimental: 6,248 m (20,499 ft) Bela Vista: 351 m (1,152 ft) |
| Dam volume | Belo Monte and embankments: 25,356,000 m3 (895,438,689 cu ft) Pimental: 4,768,000 m3 (168,380,331 cu ft) Bela Vista: 239,500 m3 (8,457,863 cu ft) |
| Spillways | 2 (Pimental and Bela Vista Dams) |
| Spillway type | Pimental: 17 gates Bela Vista: 4 gates |
| Spillway capacity | Pimental: 47,400 m3/s (1,673,915 cu ft/s) Bela Vista: 14,600 m3/s (515,594 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Dos Canais Reservoir (Belo Monte, Bela Vista Dam) Calha Do Xingu Reservoir (Pimental Dam) |
| Total capacity | Dos Canais: 1,889,000,000 m3 (1,531,437 acre·ft) Calha Do Xingu: 2,069,000,000 m3 (1,677,366 acre·ft) |
| Catchment area | 447.719 km2 (173 sq mi) |
| Surface area | Dos Canais: 108 km2 (42 sq mi) Calha Do Xingu: 333 km2 (129 sq mi) |
| Maximum water depth | 6.2–23.4 m (20.3–76.8 ft) |
| Power station | |
| Operator(s) | Eletronorte |
| Commission date | 2019 est. |
| Hydraulic head | Belo Monte: 89.3 m (293 ft) Pimental: 13.1 m (43 ft) |
| Turbines | Belo Monte: 20 x 550–611 MW Francis turbines Pimental: 7 x 25.9 MW Kaplan bulb turbines |
| Installed capacity | 11,233 MW (max.) |
| Annual generation | 39.5 TWh |
The Belo Monte Dam (formerly known as Kararaô) is a hydroelectric dam complex currently under construction on the Xingu River in the state of Pará, Brazil. It is on the northern part of the Xingu river. The planned installed capacity of the dam complex would be 11,233 megawatts (MW), which would make it the second-largest hydroelectric dam complex in Brazil and fourth-largest in the world (in installed capacity), behind the Three Gorges Dam in China, the Brazilian-Paraguayan Itaipu Dam and Chinese Xiluodu Dam. Considering the oscillations of flow river, guaranteed minimum capacity generation from the Belo Monte Dam would measure 4,571 MW, 39% of its maximum capacity.Transmission lines would connect electricity generated by the dams' turbines to the main Brazilian power grid, which would distribute it throughout the country, both for residential and commercial consumption and to supply the growth of such industries as aluminium transformation and metallurgy. Brazil's rapid economic growth over the last decade has provoked a huge demand for new and stable sources of energy, especially to supply its growing industries. In Brazil, 46% of the energy consumed comes from renewable energy sources, and hydroelectric power plants produce over 85% of the electrical energy. The Government has decided to construct new hydroelectric dams to guarantee national energy security.
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