Tâmega Complex

Northern Portugal is home to one of the largest energy projects built in Europe: the Tâmega Complex. This major energy infrastructure project, representing an investment of more than €1.85 billion, combines two different technologies. On the one hand, the Tâmega hydropower project, located north of the river near Porto, comprises three hydropower plants: Gouvães, Daivões and Alto Tâmega, the latter having been fully operational since 2024. On the other hand, there are two wind farms – Tâmega Norte, which has been operational since spring 2026, and Tâmega Sur, which is still under construction – located between Braga and Vila Real. All the facilities will share the same grid connection infrastructure through the Tâmega Power Generation System substation.

With a total installed capacity of 1,432 MW – combining 1,158 MW of hydropower and 274 MW of wind power – the complex can generate 2,367 gigawatt hours (GWh) of clean electricity a year – 1,766 GWh from hydropower and 601 GWh from wind power – enough to meet the energy needs of around 440,000 households.

In addition to its generation capacity, the complex has 40 million kWh of storage capacity in its pumped-storage gigabattery, equivalent to the daily household electricity consumption of 11 million people. In environmental terms, the complex avoids more than 1.2 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions a year and eliminates the need to import more than 160,000 tonnes of oil. Following the commissioning of its three hydropower plants between 2022 and the end of 2024, the project will complete its development with the commissioning of its two wind farms: Tâmega Norte, operational since spring 2026, and Tâmega Sur, scheduled for completion and commissioning by the end of 2026.

A hybrid power plant

The construction of the Tâmega Complex marks a major energy milestone for the Iberian Peninsula. The project has become the first hybrid energy project of its kind in the region and is one of Europe's largest energy complexes.

Following approval in 2024 for the construction of the two wind farms, an additional layer of innovation was added to the hydropower project. These are the first grid-connected facilities of this type that are being built in the area surrounding the three hydropower plants – Gouvães, Daivões and Alto Tâmega – that make up the Tâmega Complex.

The main advantage of this hybridisation is that it allows hydropower and wind power to share the same electrical infrastructure and grid connection, operating in a complementary way. When wind resources are available, they can be harnessed within the existing installed capacity. When conditions change, hydropower provides flexibility to the system.

In this context, Iberdrola will be able to manage electricity supply and demand across its hydropower and wind power facilities according to the availability of both resources and market price dynamics.