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Tucuruí

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).

8,535Source-backed capacity
8,544,754homes powered (est.)
1984commissioned (~42 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id BRA0002889.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTucuruí WRI
CountryBrazil · Para WRI
Coordinates-3.8316, -49.6431 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity8,535 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEletrobras (Eletronorte) WRI
Commissioned1984 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2 of 2572 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2 of 701 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers742.17× · 12 MW median · 701 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent8,544,754 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 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 L100000600358); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 8,535 MW, Tucuruí 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 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.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~28°Ctypical warm-season mean
Tropical monsoon: hot and humid year-round with little seasonal variation

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)
34/100environmental-severity index
1.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
400 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 #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

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 source-record hydro power plant in Para, Brazil, commissioned in 1984.

How many homes can Tucuruí power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 8,544,754 homes (estimated).

Who operates Tucuruí?

Tucuruí is operated by Eletrobras (Eletronorte).

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