Central da Faja da Nogueira

The Fajã da Nogueira power station was built in 1971. It plays an important part in the regional electricity supply, especially in the period when the old thermal plant in Funchal could no longer meet demand and before the EEM redesigned how power is managed.

The Fajã da Nogueira powerhouse stands at 625 metres.

2 turbines are in use, fed by one pressure pipe that splits inside the generator building.

The station is run only at peak times; the rest of the time the water is held in the forebay.

The capacity is 2,4 MW. Annual energy production is ca. 7 GWh.

After the turbines the water is collected in a small balancing reservoir at 620 metres and then passed on into a second balancing reservoir at 614 metres, where water is drawn off for local irrigation.

From here a throttle valve also sets the volume of water sent into the Levada dos Tornos Nord and so on towards Funchal. The volume is fixed, whatever the level of the balancing reservoir.

The pressure pipe is 604 metres long and begins at about 965 metres:

It is fed from a forebay at 968 metres, near Pico da Nogueira.

The forebay holds ca. 10'000 m3 and, because of the topography, had to be built underground. It is 470 metres long, between the confluence of the Levada Nova do Juncal with the Levada da Serra do Faial and the start of the pressure pipe.

The inlet to the pressure pipe is closed by hand with a gate valve, and also automatically with a throttle valve when the pipe is overloaded: it is then not possible to leave it open.

From the forebay there is an exceptional view towards Balcões and the lower Ribeira da Metade valley. You can also follow the first section of the Levada do Juncal and admire the ruined section of the Levada dos Accionistas. The viewpoint is easy to reach from the power station on the gravel track.

Into the forebay flows water from the Levada Nova do Juncal and the Levada da Serra do Faial, which meet in the Pico da Nogueira tunnel:

The inlet to the chamber is there as well:

The entrances of the Pico da Nogueira tunnel: on the left the Levada Nova do Juncal, on the right the Levada da Serra do Faial

The Levada da Serra do Faial takes most of its water from the Levada da Faja da Nogueira, or Pico do Ruivo, or more correctly the first branch of the Levada da Serra do Faial, by a bridge over the Ribeira da Faja da Nogueira:

Further small inflows, and the Ribeira da Faja da Nogueira, also feed the Levada da Serra do Faial.

Strictly, the section from the Pico da Nogueira tunnel to the Ribeira Seca has to be called the first part of the historic Levada da Serra do Faial (cf. also Historical development of the Levada da Serra do Faial and the surrounding levadas). The section inside the Pico Ruivo tunnel is correctly called Levada do Pico Ruivo.

The Levada do Pico do Ruivo begins at the north-western entrance of the Pico Ruivo tunnel and takes its water from the Levada do Caldeirao do Inferno and the Levada do Caldeirao Verde superior. Along the way it takes the water of the Levadinha Joao de Deus.

Altogether, the levada network that supplies the Fajã da Nogueira power station is a good 15 km long.

GPS data: KMZ data

Further information on the EEM website