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Itupararanga

Hydro power plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Approximate location -23.6125, -47.3969.

HydroSao PauloBrazilunknown

Itupararanga is a 56 MW hydro power plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It is operated by Companhia Brasileira De Alumínio SA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 56k homes (estimated). It ranks #434 of 2,572 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1914, it is around 112 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

56Source-backed capacity
56,264homes powered (est.)
1914commissioned (~112 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id BRA0001196.

Data status

Known data

FacilityItupararanga WRI
CountryBrazil · Sao Paulo WRI
Coordinates-23.6125, -47.3969 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity56 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCompanhia Brasileira De Alumínio SA [100%] WRI
Commissioned1914 WRI
Technologyunknown WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#434 of 2572 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#134 of 701 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.89× · 12 MW median · 701 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent56,264 calculated
Climate16.9°C · HDD 595 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 34/100 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 L100001022884); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 56 MW, Itupararanga 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 Companhia Brasileira De Alumínio SA [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 23.6°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.9°Cannual mean temp
595heating degree-days (base 18°C)
195cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
951 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 20 °CJF: 20 °CFM: 19 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 13 °CJA: 14 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 17 °CON: 18 °CND: 19 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 76% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 22/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
6.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
112 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 #134 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 -23.6125, -47.3969 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Itupararanga?

Itupararanga is a 56 MW source-record hydro power plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, commissioned in 1914.

How many homes can Itupararanga power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 56,264 homes (estimated).

Who operates Itupararanga?

Itupararanga is operated by Companhia Brasileira De Alumínio SA [100%].

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