The Billings Reservoir, which celebrates its centenary this Thursday (27), was built in the first decades of the 20th century by the former energy company Light, which gives the IT'S MOM, the current of the reservoir, a legacy of over a hundred years focused on investment in energy generation, and the consequent urban and industrial development of the seven cities in its surroundings, including the capital of São Paulo, São Bernardo do Campo, Diadema, Cubatão, Ribeirão Pires, Rio Grande da Serra and Santo André.
Initially designed to harness hydroelectric power from the rivers of Greater São Paulo, over the years it has come to play multiple fundamental roles, such as strategic water storage, flood control and public supply.
“The reservoir, created in the 1920s with the aim of generating energy and fostering the development of surrounding cities, has become strategic in several areas over the years. It helps other reservoirs during dry periods, controls flooding during heavy rains, and generates electricity using only our water surface with solar s. Today, after 100 years, the reservoir continues to deliver significant benefits to society,” said Karla Maciel, CEO of Emae.
Flood control
The Billings Reservoir receives water from the Pinheiros River during the rainy season, through the flood control operation carried out by Emae, preventing the river from overflowing.
This work is carried out preventively whenever monitoring systems detect high volumes of rain in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The aim is to lower the river level and reach the so-called “waiting volume”, that is, to have the capacity to receive a large volume of rainwater.
Floating photovoltaic plant
A year ago, the Billings Reservoir received, according to CETESB (Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo), the largest floating photovoltaic plant in Brazil, UFF Araucária, for the generation of 100% clean and renewable energy. The result of a partnership with KWP Energia, the plant has 10.500 solar s on the water surface.
According to Emae, the project is innovative in the world and generates benefits that go beyond the production of clean energy, from renewable sources, such as efficiency gains of up to 15% in relation to photovoltaic modules installed on the ground or roofs, considering the cooling of the s due to their proximity to the water surface.
The first phase has already been completed and has the capacity to generate up to 10 GWh per year and a power of 5 MW, which is equivalent to supplying 4 homes. In total, another 125 MW will be distributed in other plants along the reservoir by the end of 2026.
ecological corridor
With the reservoir located in an urban area that has developed rapidly, multiplying its size and structure with impacts on the local environment, Billings also becomes strategic in the creation of ecological corridors that can help in the conservation and restoration of these regions, also improving drainage and water storage.
In 2025, Emae announced an investment of R$3,2 million in the planting of 100 seedlings along a 100-km stretch of linear land that reaches the Pinheiros Dam and River region, positively impacting the municipalities of São Bernardo do Campo, Santo André, Diadema, Rio Grande da Serra and Ribeirão Pires. This action will restore the region's ecological functions, local biodiversity and preserve the riverbanks.
Water transport
The company also uses the waters of the Billings to provide urban mobility services by transporting people on ferries within the reservoir. Every year, more than 1,9 million people and more than 2 million vehicles are transported on ferries that connect three main points in the Metropolitan Region: Bororé, which connects two regions of the city of São Paulo; Taquacetuba, which connects São Paulo to São Bernardo do Campo; and João Basso, which connects two neighborhoods in São Bernardo do Campo.
Along the same lines, the company ceded areas on the banks of the reservoir to the City of São Paulo for the implementation of the “Aquático São Paulo” mobility project, which significantly reduces the travel time for people in the southern area of the capital of São Paulo.
Tourism
Within the Emae reserve, close to Cubatão, there is also Caminhos do Mar, an area granted to the Forestry Foundation to stimulate ecological tourism in the region, where it is possible to carry out both sports and leisure activities, in addition to environmental education, in more than 2.938.630,38 m² of Atlantic Forest reserve.
Along the Billings Reservoir, there are more than 40 parks or leisure and recreation spots, all open to the public, serving the cities of Diadema, Ribeirão Pires, São Bernardo do Campo, near Cubatão and São Paulo. The reservoir is also known for sport fishing with more than 700 km of banks for practicing the activity.
Reservoir numbers
- 127,15 km² in size;
- 1,2 billion m³ of water storage capacity;
- Present in 7 cities in the Metropolitan Region (São Paulo, São Bernardo do Campo, Diadema, Cubatão, Ribeirão Pires, Rio Grande da Serra and Santo André);
- Average generation of 889 MW with the Henry Borden Plant, which has the capacity to power approximately 4,27 million homes per month (average consumption of 150 kWh/month per home);
- Largest floating photovoltaic plant in Brazil with capacity to generate up to 10 GWh per year;
- Future planting of 100 thousand seedlings inserted in 100 km of linear extension in Billings and Rio Pinheiros;
- 40 parks or leisure and recreation spots open to the public.
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