Tucuruí — Brazil
Hydro power plant in Para, Brazil. Approximate location -3.8316, -49.6431.
HydroParaBrazilconventional storage
Tucuruí is a 8,535 MW hydro power station in Para, Brazil. It is operated by Eletrobras (Eletronorte). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 8.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #2 of 2,572 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1984, it is around 42 years old — long-established. 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 BRA0002889.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000600358; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 8,535 MW, Tucuruí is well above the median hydro plant in Brazil (11.5 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.
Key facts
- Share of Brazil hydro capacity
- 8.1% of 105,987 MW across 701 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 177 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 Eletrobras (Eletronorte).
Climate zone & how it works
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 3.8°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness 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 #2 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
- Indústria Agropalma · Biomass · 2.7 MW · Para
- Marabá Gusa Siderúrgica · Oil · 1.44 MW · Para
- Cosipar · Coal · 14 MW · Para
Location
Coordinates -3.8316, -49.6431 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Tucuruí?
Tucuruí is a 8,535 MW hydro power plant in Para, Brazil, commissioned in 1984.
Who operates Tucuruí?
Tucuruí is operated by Eletrobras (Eletronorte).