Juquiá complex: seven dams with crests of 140 to 265 m
Two-year contract signed in July 2026 with an energy producer: the seven dams flown over in August, the faces of Salto do Iporanga and then Serraria surveyed in detail, the rest scheduled for the 2027 dry season.
Background
The Juquiá complex, in the south of São Paulo State, comprises seven hydroelectric plants of 24 to 72 MW. Six dams follow one another on the Juquiá-Guaçu river: França, Fumaça, Barra, Porto Raso, Alecrim and Serraria; the seventh, Salto do Iporanga, stands on the Assungui river. Their crests range from 140 to 265 m and their heights from 15 to 45 m. Their operator wanted a baseline of the upstream and downstream faces and the crest of each structure, with a map of cracks and other anomalies, then a follow-up survey the next year to measure how they evolve.
What we did
Our technical proposal was validated in April 2026 and the contract signed in July; it is carried out by Sentinel Imagens, our Rio de Janeiro company. Georeferencing relies on the crest benchmarks set during the operator’s 2021 surveys: a GNSS base is set up on one benchmark per site. From 17 to 21 August the reconnaissance week covered the seven plants with general aerial views, França, Fumaça, Barra and Porto Raso on the 17th, Salto do Iporanga on the 18th, Serraria on the 19th, Alecrim on the 20th, together with the detailed acquisition of Salto do Iporanga: upstream face on the 19th in close automatic flights completed by hand, downstream face on the 21st. The reconnaissance report delivered on 1 September proposed a single acquisition and delivery standard for all seven structures. The second mission, from 5 to 8 October, covered Serraria: upstream face on the 6th in the rain with nine flight plans, downstream face on the 7th with seventeen flight plans. On the 8th, in fine weather, the automatic spillway gates were open and water covered the downstream face: only the upstream face was flown again. The rest was postponed by mutual agreement to the 2027 dry season.
3 related missions in the log
Second mission at the Juquiá complex: faces of Serraria
From 5 to 8 October 2026: upstream face of Serraria on the 6th in the rain, with nine flight plans, downstream face on the 7th with seventeen flight plans; on the 8th the automatic spillway gates were open and the downstream face under water, so the upstream face was flown again and the mission stopped. The rest of the campaign is postponed to the 2027 dry season; the three Salto do Iporanga orthophotos have been produced.
Read the articleFirst mission on the seven dams of the Juquiá complex
From 17 to 21 August 2026: general aerial views of the seven plants, França, Fumaça, Barra and Porto Raso on the 17th, Salto do Iporanga on the 18th, Serraria on the 19th, Alecrim on the 20th, and detailed acquisition of Salto do Iporanga, upstream face on the 19th and downstream face on the 21st, GNSS base on the operator’s crest benchmarks; reconnaissance report delivered on 1 September.
- 7 dams visited
Two-year contract for the seven dams of the Juquiá complex
Technical proposal validated in April, contract signed in July 2026: detailed survey of the faces and crests of seven dams with crests of 140 to 265 m, six on the Juquiá-Guaçu river and Salto do Iporanga on the Assungui river, anomaly mapping, 3D models and web tool, then a follow-up survey.
Read the article
Gallery
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97310 Kourou
French Guiana
Route des Trois-Îlets
97229 Les Trois-Îlets
Martinique
20030-041 Rio de Janeiro – RJ
Brazil