Brazil has one of the richest hydroelectric resources in the world. Its river systems carry an enormous volume of water year round fed by the rainfall patterns of the Amazon basin and the Brazilian highlands. Riverbend Hydro is located at a point where the river narrows between two rock formations creating a natural head of water that makes hydroelectric generation both technically straightforward and highly productive.

The facility operates as a run of river plant with a modest reservoir that smooths daily flow variations without significantly altering the river's natural hydrology downstream.