Afobaka Dam

Afobaka Dam
Afobaka Dam
	Hydroelectric power station at base of dam
	Location of Afobaka Dam in Suriname
Country	Suriname
Location	Afobaka, Brokopondo District
Coordinates	4°58′56.07″N 54°59′32.10″W
Purpose	Power
Status	Operational
Construction began	1961
Opening date	1964; 60 years ago
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment with gravity dam main section
Height	54 m (177 ft)
Length	1,913 m (6,276 ft)
Reservoir
Creates	Brokopondo Reservoir
Total capacity	20,000,000,000 m3 (16,000,000 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area	12,200 km2 (4,700 sq mi)
Surface area	1,560 km2 (600 sq mi)
Brokopondo Krachtcentrale
Operator(s)	Suriname Aluminum Company LLC
Commission date	1965
Turbines	6 x 30 MW Kaplan-type
Installed capacity	180 MW

The Afobaka Dam is an embankment dam with a main gravity dam section on the Suriname River near Afobaka in Brokopondo District of Suriname. The primary purpose of the dam is to generate hydroelectric power and it supports a 180 MW power station. In 1958, Suriname Aluminum Company LLC (Suralco [nl]), a subsidiary of Alcoa, gained an agreement with the Suriname government to build the dam to power an aluminium smelter.^[1] Construction began in 1961 and it was completed in 1964. About 75% of power generated is used for processing aluminum, the rest is used in Paramaribo downstream. The power station was operational in 1965 but the very large reservoir, Brokopondo Reservoir, was not completely filled until 1971. Greenhouse gases emitted from the reservoir resulted in poor water quality for decades. Highly acidic water also damaged the power station's turbines.^[2]