Wedoany.com Report-Feb 11, The Alto Tâmega hydroelectric complex in northern Portugal has been awarded the Portuguese Water Resources Association (APRH) Hydroelectric Projects Award in the Dams and Hydropower Production category. The award recognizes the scale, innovation, and impact of the project, one of the largest energy initiatives in Portugal’s history and among the largest energy storage facilities in Europe.
The award will be presented during the 17th Water Congress, taking place from April 8 to 11, 2025, in Lagos, Algarve. Before the ceremony, APRH will visit the facility to install a commemorative plaque acknowledging its contribution to hydroelectric development and energy sustainability in Portugal.
With an installed capacity of 1158MW and the ability to store up to 40GWh of energy, the Alto Tâmega hydroelectric system represents the largest investment in renewable energy in Portugal over the past 30 years.
Rafael Chacón, director of the Alto Tâmega project, emphasized the scale and expertise involved in the initiative: “The Alto Tâmega hydroelectric complex is a 100% greenfield project led by Iberdrola and developed from scratch by an interdisciplinary team of more than 100 specialists, highlighting the company’s leading role in hydropower. This award recognizes not only Iberdrola’s enormous technical, business, and financial capacity but also its fundamental role in the transition towards a sustainable energy model through renewable energy storage.”
Vítor Afonso, operations manager of Alto Tâmega, highlighted the flexibility of the Gouvães pumping station, part of the complex: “The Gouvães pumping station is a plant that offers a lot of flexibility and can go from pumping 880 MW to generating 880 MW in a few minutes. This is essential to ensure a reliable energy supply in a decarbonized electricity system, where wind and photovoltaic contributions can fluctuate by several thousand MW in a few hours.”
Alto Tâmega hydroelectric complex overview
The Alto Tâmega project is among the largest hydroelectric projects developed in Europe over the past 25 years, with a total investment exceeding €1.5 billion. It consists of three power plants:
Alto Tâmega hydroelectric power plant (160 MW),
Gouvães pumped storage power plant (880 MW),
Daivões power plant (118 MW), which, along with Gouvães, has been operational since 2022.
The Gouvães pumped storage plant functions as a “gigabattery,” storing up to 20 GWh of renewable energy at peak production times and releasing it when demand is high and solar and wind sources are insufficient.
With an annual production capacity of up to 1,766GWh, the complex can supply electricity to 440,000 households in Braga, Guimarães, and surrounding areas. It also reduces CO2 emissions by 1.2 million tonnes per year and prevents the import of over 160,000 tonnes of oil annually.
The project has contributed significantly to the regional economy, creating 3,500 direct jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs during construction. Of these, 20% were filled by local workers, with more than 100 suppliers involved, 75 of them Portuguese.
