It is one of the country’s biggest investments in hydropower today and it will operate the largest Kaplan turbines ever manufactured in Brazil. Each of the eight 138.6 MW runners has an impressive diameter of 9.5 meters.

The first unit started operating in February 2012. Full operation is planned 8 months later with one unit going online every two months.

Voith took a new approach regarding Estreito’s stay rings and wicket gates. In order to combine high functionality and competitive costs, the stay rings were subject to several structural analyses investigating the metallic structure’s interaction with the concrete under different load regimes. The new design for the wicket gates focuses on the combination of stainless and carbon steel welding with very good results in terms of quality.