Enel Green Power has begun construction works at the 102MW Apiacás hydroelectric complex, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Apiacás consists of three cascading power plants – Salto Apiacás, Cabeza de Boi and Fazenda – comprising seven turbines of around 14.5 MW each. Once fully operational, the Apiacás hydro complex will be capable of generating up to an approximate 490GWh each year.

"A thin-film photovoltaic facility is to be installed to reduce power consumption on the construction site, adding a further 1.2 MW"

A thin-film photovoltaic facility is to be installed to reduce power consumption on the construction site, adding a further 1.2 MW of installed capacity. Once the hydro complex is completed, the photovoltaic plant will keep operating.

Expected to be complete in the first half of 2016, the project has required an investment of around US$287 million. It will be held by Enel Green Power Cabeza de Boi S.A., Enel Green Power Fazenda S.A., and Enel Green Power Salto Apiacás S.A., subsidiaries of Enel Brasil Participações Ltda.

In Brazil, Enel Green Power currently has around 210 MW of installed capacity, of which 93MW comes from hydro and the remainder from wind power.