July 14 - Visit to a Hydroelectric Plant

Today's visit to the Henry Borden hydro plant provided a jarring look at the scale of the operation necessary to produce hundreds of megawatts of hydroelectricity.  What stood out to me the most was the sheer size and power of the machinery that went into the turbines and the generators and all the rest, notably the tunnel leading to the underground section of the plant.  The power of the machines was truly something to behold, as the turbines seemed deafeningly loud even through the ear plugs we were wearing.  Building the plant was obviously a massive undertaking, requiring the use heavy machinery and many hours of labor.






























It is important to make note of the significant effort required to create the hydro plant in the context of the discussion about the plant's sustainability and its effect on the environment.  Hydroelectricity is essentially a renewable resource once it is being harnessed, but the process of building hydro plants such as the one we visited today surely leaves behind a meaningful carbon footprint.  We learned today that Cubatao, the city surrounding the plant is one of the most polluted places in the world.  Surely the construction of the Henry Borden plant helped contribute to that status.  The potential detrimental effects of building these sites must be taken into account as new projects are proposed in other areas.




The plant also appeared to be in need of modernization.  This is apparently currently a work in progress, but the outdated nature of some of the equipment was apparent in that the turbines all appeared to have labels from the 1950's.



Overall, it was very interesting to get to witness firsthand the sheer power and intensity of a hydro plant at work generating hundreds of megawatts of electricity.  Plus, it was great to get to Santos and see the beach!  However, the visit raised many questions about the potential costs of these kinds of projects.