At the end of 19th Century the growing exportation of sugar and coffee in the southern state of São Paulo, Brazil, led to the expansion and modernization of the ancient harbor of Santos. Electrical equipment prevailed as the choice for larger capacity hoisting equipment in charge of cargo to be picked up from the incoming railway Jundiaí-Santos and loading it onto the ships. Soon after the new Republic was inaugurated, a concession (1891) was given to build a dam 700 m above the sea level, taking advantage of the turbulent waters of Itapanhaú River, running in the tropical woods covering Serra do Mar, a mountain range separating the seaside from the interior lands. The stream was channeled through a 3-km stone tunnel, flowing into the dam and downhill through pipes to power the turbines of Itatinga substation, not far away from the sea docks.

Construction had to be interrupted several times because of difficult sanitary conditions that plagued swampy coastal areas as Itatinga and Santos, including yellow fever and malaria. Finally the service began to operate in 1910, and the private company that owns the power station has been able, due to the excess energy produced, to supply or complement electricity for neighboring cities, even nowadays. This service was however, during many decades, subject to constant economic and political struggles with the monopolistic British-Canadian Light and Power Co., which held the concession for the nearby city of São Paulo and surroundings.

This power station had a deep impact in the social, cultural and economic history of the region, since the surplus generated by coffee exports were instrumental in the industrialization of São Paulo, at an ever increasing pace since the 1910’s. It is a living part of the national electrical heritage, which is not well-known and remains to be better utilized. The processes of designing, building, operating and maintaining this enterprise, as well as the machines, architectural and engineering features, and the role of the technicians and workforce involved there await to be highlighted in the future.