Alcántara Dam, Spain

Alcántara is a town in the Extremadura region of Spain, known for its rich historical and cultural heritage. It is home to the famous Alcántara Bridge, an ancient Roman structure spanning the Tagus River.

Besides the famous bridge, one of the most significant modern infrastructures associated with the city is the dam on the Tagus, which dams the river to create the largest artificial lake in Western Europe. The lake is 91 km long and covers an area of 10,400 hectares.

The dam, built in 1965, is a gravity dam with 19 hollow triangular elements, each 22 metres wide and the length at the crest is 570 metres. At the base of the dam is a hydroelectric power station with four generating units, which produce a total power of 915 MW. In addition, the dam is equipped with two spillways with a combined discharge capacity of 12,000m³/s, ensuring efficient river flood management and infrastructure safety.