Caçu

Hydro power plant in Goias, Brazil. Approximate location -18.5294, -51.15.

HydroGoiasBrazilunknown

Caçu is a 65 MW hydro power plant in Goias, Brazil. It is operated by Gerdau Acos Longos SA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 65k homes (estimated). It ranks #406 of 2,572 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2010, it is around 16 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 51.8% of Brazil's electricity; the national grid averages 110 gCO₂/kWh (88.7% low-carbon) (2025).

65Source-backed capacity
65,074homes powered (est.)
2010commissioned (~16 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id BRA0028756.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCaçu WRI
CountryBrazil · Goias WRI
Coordinates-18.5294, -51.15 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity65 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerGerdau Acos Longos SA WRI
Commissioned2010 WRI
Technologyunknown WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#406 of 2572 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#131 of 701 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.65× · 12 MW median · 701 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent65,074 calculated
Climate23.1°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 31/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100001022880); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 65 MW, Caçu is well above the median hydro plant in Brazil (12 MW). Technically it is described as unknown. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Brazil

Belo Monte: 11,233 MW11kBelo MonteTucuruí: 8,535 MW9kTucuruíItaipu (Parte Brasileira): 7,000 MW7kItaipu (Pa…Jirau: 3,750 MW4kJirauSanto Antônio: 3,568 MW4kSanto Antô…Ilha Solteira: 3,444 MW3kIlha Solte…Xingó: 3,162 MW3kXingóPaulo Afonso IV: 2,462 MW2kPaulo Afon…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Gerdau Acos Longos SA.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 18.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

23.1°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,852cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
525 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 24 °CJF: 24 °CFM: 24 °CMA: 23 °CAM: 22 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 24 °CON: 24 °CND: 24 °CD24 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
31/100environmental-severity index
4.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
755 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #131 largest hydro power plant of 701 in Brazil by capacity.

Brazil has 701 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 105,987 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -18.5294, -51.15 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Caçu?

Caçu is a 65 MW source-record hydro power plant in Goias, Brazil, commissioned in 2010.

How many homes can Caçu power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 65,074 homes (estimated).

Who operates Caçu?

Caçu is operated by Gerdau Acos Longos SA.

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