Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex
| Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex | |
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A view of Paulo Afonso I, II and III
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 Location of Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex
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| Country | Brazil |
| Location | Paulo Afonso |
| Coordinates | 9°23′49″S 38°12′08″W / 9.39694°S 38.20222°WCoordinates: 9°23′49″S 38°12′08″W / 9.39694°S 38.20222°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 1954–1979 |
| Owner(s) | CHESF |
| Thermal power station | |
| Type | Hydroelectric |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 23 |
| Nameplate capacity | 4,279.6 MW (5,739,000 hp) |
The Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex (Complexo Hidrelétrico de Paulo Afonso), also known as the Paulo Afonso Complex, is a system of three dams and five hydroelectric power plants on the São Francisco River near the city of Paulo Afonso in Bahia, Brazil. The complex exploits an 80-metre (260 ft) natural gap on the river, known as the Paulo Afonso Falls. Constructed in succession between 1948 and 1979, the dams support the Paulo Afonso I, II, III, IV and Apollonius Sales (Moxotó) power plants which contain a total of 23 generators with an installed capacity of 4,279.6 megawatts (5,739,000 hp).
PA I was the first large power plant constructed in Brazil and the complex constitutes the densest area of dams in Brazil. The complex provides electricity to areas in northeastern Brazil and is the main tourist attraction in the region.
On January 23, 1913, the 1.1 MW Angiquinho Hydroelectric Plant, built by industrialist Delmiro Gouveia, was the first use of the Paulo Afonso Falls for power production and the first hydroelectric power plant in northeastern Brazil. Construction of the power plant was intended to spur economic growth in the area and soon after another hydroelectric plant was constructed upstream near Petrolândia. By the 1940s Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture recognized the importance of harnessing the São Francisco River for economic development in the semi-arid region. They began to plan the river's development and the Companhia Hidro-Elétrica do São Francisco (CHESF) was formed in 1945. On May 23, 1944, construction on Paulo Afonso I had been authorized with two generators. Construction began in 1948; workers and engineers experienced difficulty diverting the river, transporting the turbines to the site while in midst of dangerous work conditions. Tunnels and a cavern had to be excavated for Brazil's first underground power plant. Due to the depth and strength of the river near the falls, it was not diverted until 1954. On January 15, 1955, Brazilian President João Café Filho inaugurated PA I. Previously, in 1953, CHESF negotiated with the government for a third generating unit at PA I and the excavation of another underground power plant for the future PA II adjacent to PA I on the falls. The third generator at PA I was commissioned on September 18, 1955 and construction of PA II began that year as well.
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