Miranda do Douro Dam

The Miranda do Douro Dam is a concrete buttress dam built on the Douro river very close to the town of Miranda do Douro, on the stretch where the river forms the border between Portugal and Spain. It links the right bank on the Portuguese side (the parish of Miranda do Douro) with the left bank in the Spanish municipality of Torregamones, in the province of Zamora.

It has been in operation since 1960 and is part of the chain of hydroelectric schemes on the International Douro: the Spanish Castro dam lies upstream and the Picote dam downstream.

The dam in numbers

• Height of 80 m above the foundation and a crest elevation of 535 m, according to Wikipedia.
• Length of about 263 m, a figure given by English Wikipedia and by the operator.
• A reservoir 14 km long with a total capacity of 28.1 million m³.
• Construction began in 1955 and was completed in 1961, according to English Wikipedia.

Power generation

It is a run-of-the-river plant. It started with three Francis-turbine generating units and a fourth (Miranda II) was added in 1995. The operator, Movhera, states a total installed capacity of 363 MW; other sources give different figures, between 363 and 390 MW, so it is best to check with the operator. According to Wikipedia, EDP sold the dam to a French consortium in December 2019.

International Douro

The dam lies within the Douro International Natural Park, created on 11 May 1998 and covering 85,150 hectares along the stretch of the Douro that serves as the border. The park's wildlife includes griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures and the black stork. A river cruise leaves from Miranda do Douro with views of the cliffs and raptors; according to Roteiro do Douro, the way to the dock passes by the dam. Times and prices should be confirmed locally.

In town, the Castelo de Miranda do Douro is a natural companion visit; see also our guide to Miranda do Douro.