Iguaçu River: drought season and the impact in the hydroelectric power in Brazil

Amanda Reichert - M.Sc. - EWRE

Project objective• Correlate the droughts in Iguaçu River with

the supply of energy from hydroelectric power plants using the ArcGIS tools

Location• Iguaçu River - Paraná State - Brazil

Hydrology description

• Iguaçu River has an average flow rate of 1,746 m³/s

• 1,320 kilometres (820 mi) long

• 5 Hydroelectric power plants• Iguaçu Falls

• The Iguaçu Falls has the second-greatest average annual flow, after Niagara Falls, with an average rate of 1,746 m³/s (Niagara Falls: 2,400 m³/s)

• Maximum recorded flow 12,800 m³/s (Niagara Falls: 8,300 m³/s)

Why I chose this topic?

Importance of Hydroelectric Power in Brazil

• Hydroelectric power plants produce over 90% of the electrical energy consumed in Brazil

• Itaipu Dam corresponds to 25% (14,000 MW)

• Iguaçu River: 5 Hydroelectric Power Plants – distribute its energy to Paraná State and the remaining (almost 40%) to other regions in Brazil

Power from the Iguaçu River

• Foz do Areia (1,676 MW)• Salto Osório (1,078 MW)• Segredo (1,260 MW)

• Salto Santiago (1,420 MW)• Salto Caxias (1,240 MW)

Monthly Average Flow Rate (time series tables)

JAN FEV MAR ABR MAI JUN JUL AGO SET OUT NOV DEZ0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

FOZ DO AREIA - Volumetric flow (m³/s)

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 20002001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2006

Precipitation data analysis (1990_2010)JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

APRIL MAY JUNE

AUGUST SEPTEMBERJULY

OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

Precipitation data analysis (1990_2010)

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Precipitation Scenario - Paraná State

1990199119921994199519961997199819992000200220032004200520072008200920102006

Tota

l Pre

cipita

tion

(mm

)

What happened in 2006?

• The energy supply in Brazil is interconnected and controlled by the National Interconnected System (SIN) - system allows different regions to exchange power among them

• During the drought season of 2006, the Paraná State had their energy supplied by other regions

Conclusion

• ArcGIS can be very useful to SIN system to demonstrate graphically and predict the impact of a drought year

Questions?