Average plant availability factor, broken down by energy source and regulatory system

Belo Monte had 59 hours of scheduled shutdown, recorded in the Availability Factor (AF), which occurred during the rainy season. The Pimental HPP totaled 2,104 hours for both the wet and dry periods. As for forced interruptions, there were 456 hours at the Belo Monte HPP and 113 at the Pimental HPP, demonstrating the efficiency of the teams in responding to and mitigating impacts. Average plant availability is a key indicator of operational reliability, and is expressed in percentages. The Availability Factor (AF), which considers both planned and unplanned downtime events, reached 99.67% and 95.79% for Belo Monte and Pimental, respectively. 

These figures demonstrate our ongoing pursuit of operational excellence and the country’s energy security, and are anchored in a robust maintenance and technical expertise plan to restart the machinery/equipment after unforeseen outages as quickly as possible. With AFs above 98% in the last three years, Norte Energia exhibits consistent performance, reinforcing its strategic role in the transition to a cleaner, safer and more efficient energy matrix.  

Belo Monte’s daily generation capacity is reported by Norte Energia and dispatched by the ONS to meet the demand of the Brazilian electrical system. 

Belo Monte Complex Availability Factor

Note: the Availability Factor of a hydroelectric power plant measures the amount of time a power plant is actually operating to produce electricity over a certain period. This index is calculated by relating the plant’s time of operation (available time) to the total time of the period analyzed. In other words, the higher the Availability Factor, the greater the amount of time the plant was available to continuously generate energy, which is an indication of operational efficiency. High availability means that the plant is operating reliably and stably, contributing to the security of energy supply.

In 2024, Belo Monte achieved its best historical result, with a 99.55% AF, standing out as the best AF of all plants with dispatch coordinated by the ONS. The AF reflects planned and unplanned downtime in one year, and for both Belo Monte and Pimental, the reference AFs established in the invitation to bid were exceeded (97% for Belo Monte and 93% for Pimental). 

To increase the accuracy of indicator results and avoid errors in the calculation process, specific indicator calculation modules and data collection support tools were developed in the Norte Energia Integrated Operation System (Sion), ensuring greater reliability and efficiency in data management.