Três Marias Dam
| Três Marias Dam | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Usina de Bernardo Mascarenhas |
| Location | Três Marias, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Coordinates | 18°12′51″S 45°15′46″W / 18.21417°S 45.26278°W |
| Construction began | 1957 |
| Opening date | 1961 |
| Owner(s) | CEMIG |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment |
| Impounds | São Francisco River |
| Height | 75 m (246 ft) |
| Length | 2,700 m (8,900 ft) |
| Spillway type | Service, gate-controlled chute |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Três Marias Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 21 km3 (17,000,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface area | 1,040 km2 (400 sq mi) |
| Bernard Mascarenhas Power Plant | |
| Commission date | 1962-1969 |
| Type | Conventional |
| Turbines | 6 x 64.6 MW (86,600 hp) Kaplan turbines |
| Installed capacity | 387.6 MW (519,800 hp) |
The Três Marias Dam, also known as Bernardo Mascarenhas, is an embankment dam on the São Francisco River near Três Marias in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was constructed for hydroelectric power production and flood control. The dam was completed in 1961 and its first generator was operational in 1962. The dam's power plant is named after Bernard Mascarenhas who in 1889, built South America's first major hydroelectric power plant in Brazil, the Marmelos Zero Power Plant.