Paulo Afonso III — Brazil

Paulo Afonso III is a 794.2 MW hydro power station in Bahia, Brazil. It is operated by Companhia Hidro Elétrica do São Francisco SA (CHESF) [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 795k homes (estimated). It ranks #68 of 2,572 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1971, it is around 55 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).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id BRA0027049.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000600312; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 794.2 MW, Paulo Afonso III is well above the median hydro plant in Brazil (11.5 MW). Technically it is described as run-of-river. 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.

Key facts

Share of Brazil hydro capacity

0.7% of 105,987 MW across 701 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

131 of 658 dated hydro plants in Brazil are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Brazil

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

Owner

Operated by Companhia Hidro Elétrica do São Francisco SA (CHESF) [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 9.4°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

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

This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

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 #35 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

• Paulo Afonso I · Hydro · 180 MW · Bahia
• Paulo Afonso II · Hydro · 443 MW · Bahia
• Paulo Afonso IV · Hydro · 2,462.4 MW · Bahia
• Apolônio Sales (Antiga Moxotó) · Hydro · 400 MW · Bahia
• Luiz Gonzaga (Itaparica) · Hydro · 1,479.6 MW · Pernambuco
• Pedra do Gerônimo · Wind · 30.6 MW · Pernambuco

Location

Coordinates -9.3984, -38.2026 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions