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Quebra Queixo

Hydro power plant in Santa Catarina, Brazil. Approximate location -26.6578, -52.5449.

HydroSanta CatarinaBrazilconventional storage

Quebra Queixo is a 120 MW hydro power station in Santa Catarina, Brazil. It is operated by Ibitu Energia [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 120k homes (estimated). It ranks #285 of 2,572 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 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).

120Source-backed capacity
120,137homes powered (est.)
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id BRA0002167.

Data status

Known data

FacilityQuebra Queixo WRI
CountryBrazil · Santa Catarina WRI
Coordinates-26.6578, -52.5449 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity120 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerIbitu Energia [100%] WRI
Commissioned2003 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#285 of 2572 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#105 of 701 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers10.43× · 12 MW median · 701 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent120,137 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 30/100 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 L100000600323); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 120 MW, Quebra Queixo is well above the median hydro plant in Brazil (12 MW). Technically it is described as conventional storage. 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 Ibitu Energia [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

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 26.7°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~18°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season mean
Humid subtropical: hot summers and mild winters

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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)
30/100environmental-severity index
8.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
389 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 #105 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 -26.6578, -52.5449 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Quebra Queixo?

Quebra Queixo is a 120 MW source-record hydro power plant in Santa Catarina, Brazil, commissioned in 2003.

How many homes can Quebra Queixo power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 120,137 homes (estimated).

Who operates Quebra Queixo?

Quebra Queixo is operated by Ibitu Energia [100%].

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