Hydroelectric power plants in various regions of Brazil have started to open their floodgates since last week. At the Itaipu Binacional plant, the gates of the left channel were opened this Saturday (14), with a flow of 1,400 m³/s. The forecast for spillage is ten days, but the schedule can be changed.
The plants on the Madeira River, in the Belo Monte Complex, and the São Francisco River basins were opened during the week. For the next few days, spillage is expected to start at the Tucuruí Hydroelectric Plant, in Pará.
The exceptional measure is taken with the recovery of the levels of the main reservoirs of the National Interconnected System. According to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the reservoirs exceed 60% of storage in January, a month with above average rainfall in some regions of the country.
According to the MME, in general, the opening of spillways occurs for two main reasons: ensuring the safety of dams, when the volume of reservoirs reaches maximum levels, and reducing energy demand, as is expected in January. Thus, the water that would pass through the turbines is drained into the spillways.
