Eletrobras profit falls 78.5 pct in Q3

SAO PAULO, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Eletrobras (ELET6.SA)(ELET3.SA), Brazil's state-run power holding, said its net profit fell 78.5 percent in the third quarter, partly due to the dollar's sharp fall against Brazil's currency.

The Rio de Janeiro-based company said in a regulatory filing late on Friday its profit was 453.8 million reais ($265 million) in the period, down from 2.1 billion reais in the same period a year ago.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, a measure of cash flow and operational profitability known as EBITDA, fell to 3.8 billion reais from 4.4 billion a year earlier.

It said the profit fall was mainly due to costs associated with the commercialization of energy from the giant Itaipu dam and the rise in the Brazilian currency, the real, which hit the value of receivables indexed to the U.S. currency.

($1=1.71 reais)

(Reporting by Stuart Grudgings, editing by Vicki Allen)