Itaipu hydroelectric power plant / Hydropower

Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam is the biggest functional hydroelectric power producer worldwide, with an installed generation ability of 14GW. The plant is managed by Itaipu Binacional and located on the edge between Brazil and Paraguay. Energy produced by Itaipu helps fulfill needs through the two nations. About 90per cent of this energy generated by the plant is used by Brazil.

The dam as well as the plant are on the Paraná River. Building of dam started in February 1971 and cost $19.6bn. The very first device started generating energy in May 1984. The 2nd creating product started operating equivalent year. By 2009 Itaipu features 20 generating devices, each with a capacity of 700MW.

The dam's reservoir, which covers an area of 1, 350km², is the seventh-largest reservoir in Brazil, with a most useful coefficient of water utilisation of 10.4MW/km². Itaipu generated 94.68 billion kWh of power in 2008, enough to satisfy globally power consumption for two times.

It's equal to the power eaten by Paraguay for 11 years by Argentina for just one 12 months.

The energy produced in 2008 was familiar with provide 87% associated with electrical energy eaten in Paraguay and 19% required because of the Brazilian interconnected system.

Plant record

"at the time of 2009 Itaipu features 20 producing units, each with a capability of 700MW."

The proposition for construction of Itaipu had been produced in February 1971. Paraguay and Brazil finalized a treaty in April 1973 the exploitation of Paraná River by both nations for hydroelectric power. The pact place the maximum number of creating devices at 18. The plant has two other devices as book.

The very first two devices regarding the plant were set up in 1984 as the nineteenth device was put in in 2006. The plant had been finished with installing its twentieth product in 2007.

an environmental research ended up being taken on because of the Meteorological System of Paraná (Simepar) from September 1997 to 2000. It found that the reservoir failed to affect the climate of area.

Treaty

The treaty, whenever originally signed, needed Paraguay to sell its unused electricity to Brazil for $124m a year until 2023. The treaty expires this year and contains caused widespread discontent in Paraguay for many many years.

In July 2009 both nations signed a deal, under which Brazil decided to triple its payments to Paraguay. Moreover it permitted Paraguay to offer extra energy right to Brazilian organizations in the place of checking out the Brazilian electricity monopoly. The offer comes with construction of an electricity range, that will be completed by 2012.

Building

A consortium of US-based IECO and Italy-based ELC Electroconsult completed the viability scientific studies associated with the task and its building.

The Itaipu task included the building of a 7, 919m-long and 196m-high dam. The dam had been created to develop an artificial pond that builds up liquid. Itaipu's main dam is made of concrete whilst additional dams are produced from rockfill and earthfill rocks and earth from neighborhood excavations.