We harness the water's energy
Hydroelectric plants are one of the oldest forms of electricity production, harnessing the force that has been known and used for millennia.
Our installed hydro capacity in 1S24
7.5 GW
in the first half of 2024 (EBITDA + Equity GW)
30%
of the installed renewable capacity
is from hydro energy.
EDP's hydropower
EDP's hydroelectric energy production is present in three countries - Portugal, Spain and Brazil - but with dozens of plants and an extremely relevant dimension in these three markets, articulating with other energy sources.
Strong presence in the hydro sector in the Iberian Peninsula and Brazil
Dams with a thousand
and one functions
- Generating electricity
- Water reservoir
- Consumption
- Irrigation
- Safety in the face of floods or droughts
- Tourism
- Ecosystem for plants and animals
Pumping to increase flexibility
In an electricity sector increasingly based on renewables, hydro production is the support for a more flexible system. The sun doesn't always shine, the wind calms down, but the water continues to flow in the rivers, or it can stay in the reservoir for a long time.
Hydroelectric plants help to manage the electricity grid more efficiently in periods of higher demand or when other sources are intermittent. And associated with a hydraulic pumping system - present in 40% of the dams in Portugal and Spain - it returns water to the reservoir. The dams are true facilitators of the energy transition and one of EDP's main focuses on the path to becoming a fully green utility by 2030.
Innovation
Solar farms in EDP dams
The Alqueva dam will receive a floating solar farm to support the pumped hydropower plant. An EDP test in Alto Rabagão, pioneering at European level, confirmed the advantages of hybridising dams.