Tallest Dams in South America
Overview
Which are the tallest and largest dams in South America ?
Tallest Dams. Alberto Lleras Dam of Colombia is the tallest dam in South America, built at a height of 243 meters. At second and third, are La Esmeralda Dam at a height of 237 meters and Irapé Dam at 208 meters.The heights of the major dams in South America range from 13.90 meters to 243 meters, with the average dam built at around 136.8 meters.
Countries with Most Major Dams. The country with the most major dams in South America is Brazil.
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Installed Capacity. Itaipu Dam of Brazil-Paraguay is the largest dam by installed capacity in South America, built with a capacty of 14,000 MW.The installed capacities of major dams in South America range from 360 MW to 14,000 MW, with the average dam installed with a capacity of 4,947.7 MW.
Reservoir Volume. Guri Dam of Venezuela is the largest dam by reservoir volume in South America, with a reservoir of 135 billion m3.The reservoir volumes of major dams in South America range from 0.36 billion m3 to 135 billion m3, with the average dam impounding up to 26.5 billion m3 of water.
Dam Types. The most common dam type among the major dams in South America is the embankment dam.
Let's check out some of these tallest and largest dams in South America.
Itaipu Dam is a buttress dam located in Foz do Iguaçu and Hernandarias, Brazil-Paraguay (South America). It was completed in 1984 (38 years old).
Itaipu Dam is the 2nd largest hydroelectric dam in the world by installed capacity. The buttress dam has an installed capacity of 14,000MW. Itaipu Dam stands 196 meters tall and can impound up to 29 billion m3 of water. Its structural volume is 12.30 million m3.
Compare Itaipu Dam with Clywedog Reservoir Dam from United Kingdom.
Guri Dam, also known as Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant, is located in Necuima Canyon, Bolívar, Venezuela (South America). The gravity dam was completed in 1978 (44 years old).
The structural height of Guri Dam is 162 meters while its structural volume of 29.80 million m3. The gravity dam can hold up to 135 billion m3 of water and has an installed capacity of 10,235MW.
Completed in 2016, Belo Monte Dam is a 6-year-old gravity dam. It is located in Pará, Brazil (South America).
Belo Monte Dam is the 2nd largest hydroelectric gravity dam in the world by installed capacity. The gravity dam stands at a height of 90 meters and impounds up to 1.89 billion m3 of water. Belo Monte Dam has a structural volume of 25.36 million m3 and an installed capacity of 11,233MW.
Compare Belo Monte Dam with Allatoona Dam from United States.
Located in Tucuruí, Pará, Brazil, Tucuruí Dam is a gravity dam. It was built in 1984 (38 years since completion).
Tucuruí Dam is the 3rd largest gravity dam in the world by reservoir volume. The gravity dam stands at a height of 78 meters and impounds up to 45 billion m3 of water. Tucuruí Dam has an installed capacity of 8,370MW.
Ilha Solteira Dam is a 49-year-old embankment dam (completed in 1973). It is located in Ilha Solteira, São Paulo, Brazil (South America).
Ilha Solteira Dam impounds the 2nd largest reservoir volume in Brazil. The structural height of Ilha Solteira Dam is 76 meters. The embankment dam can hold up to 21.20 billion m3 of water and has an installed capacity of 3,444MW.
Completed in 1961, Macagua Dam is a 61-year-old embankment dam. It is also known as Antonio José de Sucre and is located in Ciudad Guayana in Bolívar State, Venezuela (South America).
The installed capacity of Macagua Dam is 3,168MW. The embankment dam stands 69 meters tall and can impound up to 0.36 billion m3 of water.
Dams Lists
Largest Dams by Installed Capacity (MW): world | Asia | Europe | North America | South America | USA | Canada | Australia | UK
Tallest Dams: world | Asia | Europe | North America | South America | USA | Canada | Australia | UK
Dams with Largest Structural Volume: world | Asia | Europe | North America | South America | USA | Canada | Australia | UK
Dams with Largest Reservoir Volume: world | Asia | Europe | North America | South America | USA | Canada | Australia | UK
Largest/tallest Dams by Type: Arch Dams | Embankment Dams | Gravity Dams | Arch-Gravity Dams | Buttress Dams