Iberdrola was awarded the Portuguese Water Resources Association (APRH) Hydraulic Projects prize for the presentation of the Tâmega electricity generation system, which won first place in the Dams and Hydropower Production category.
With an installed capacity of 1,158 MW and up to 40 GWh of energy storage, the Tâmega electricity generating system is the largest investment in renewable energy in Portugal in the last three decades. The Alto Tâmega Power Station is located at the foot of Alto Tâmega Dam, a large double-curved vault dam, 105 m high, with 220,000 m3 of concrete and a crown length of 335 m, which has become the fifth highest dam in Portugal.
The APRH Award for Hydraulic Projects aims to recognize and reward the originality and overall quality of single or multi-purpose hydraulic infrastructures for the development or control of water resources and the management or rehabilitation of aquatic environments.
“The Gouvães pumping station, which is part of Alto Tâmega, is a plant that offers a lot of flexibility, and can go from pumping 880 MW to generating 880 MW in a few minutes, which is essential to ensure reliable energy supply in a decarbonized electricity system, where the wind and photovoltaic contribution can fluctuate by several thousand MW in a few hours,” said Vítor Afonso, Alto Tâmega’s operations manager.
The award will be presented by the Portuguese Water Resources Association during the 17th Water Congress, which will take place from April 8 – 11, 2025 in Lagos, Algarve. Prior to the official award ceremony, the APRH will visit the plant to install a plaque commemorating the Hydraulic Projects award.
The Tâmega hydroelectric power plant is one of the largest hydroelectric projects in Europe in the last 25 years. With a total investment of more than €1.5 billion, it consists of three power plants: the Alto Tâmega hydroelectric power plant, with an installed capacity of 160 MW, the Gouvães pumped storage power plant (880 MW) and the Daivões power plant (118 MW). The latter two have been in operation since 2022.
The Gouvães reversible hydropower plant can store up to 20 GWh of renewable energy at peak production times and use it later when demand is higher and intermittent energy sources such as solar and wind cannot be relied on.
The three plants have an installed capacity of 1,158 MW and an annual production capacity of up to 1,766 GWh, enough to meet the energy needs of neighboring municipalities, as well as the cities of Braga and Guimarães (440,000 households). In addition, this renewable infrastructure has a storage capacity of up to 40 million kWh, equivalent to the energy consumed by 11 million people over 24 hours in their homes.
Portugal gets more than 60% of its electricity from renewable sources and has the objective of reaching 85% by 2030. With the growth of renewables, the output of wind and solar power stations increasingly exceeds the system’s needs. Because it cannot be consumed or managed by the system, it would be lost if it weren’t stored by pumping water, particularly in the Gouvães reservoir.
