Central Hidroeléctrica da Companhia de Papel do Prado
THE ABANDONED POWER PLANT IN PORTUGAL
This is the ‘Central Hidroeléctrica’, a water-driven power station. It was part of the local paper factory ‘Companhia de Papel do Prado’. The station was abandoned when the factory moved to another site.
This water-driven power plant produced hydroelectric power for the Prado paper plant. For this reason, water was transported by the bypass canal along the Ceira river. The captured water is directed through a pipeline or conduction channel that guides it to the hydropower plant. Two turbines are activated by the water flow, with a total output of 500kVA.
The power station closed in 1996 when the paper factory moved to another part of the city.
Up to the present time, the paper company is still active. In fact, the ‘Prado-Cartolinas’ factory is today located in Lousã. Prado is the market leader in Spain and Portugal, but also operates in another 50 countries. Furthermore, the company is recognized internationally for being a specialist producer of heavyweight paper.
I took these photos of Central Hidroeléctrica da Companhia de Papel do Prado during my trip to Portugal in 2016. You can see more Portugese locations here.
