Itaipu Dam

Itaipu Dam
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Itaipu Dam |
|
Location of Itaipu Dam |
Official name | Central Hidroeléctrica Itaipú Binacional
Usina Hidrelétrica Itaipu Binacional |
Country | Brazil
Paraguay |
Location | Foz do Iguaçu
Hernandarias |
Coordinates | 25°24′29″S 54°35′20″W / 25.40806°S 54.58889°W / -25.40806;-54.58889Coordinates: 25°24′29″S 54°35′20″W / 25.40806°S 54.58889°W / -25.40806; -54.58889 |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | January 1970 |
Opening date | 5 May 1984 |
Construction cost | US$19.6 billion |
Owner(s) | Itaipu Binacional |
Dam and spillways |
Type of dam | Combination gravity, buttress and embankment sections |
Height | 196 m (643 ft) |
Length | 7,919 m (25,981 ft)|
Volume | 12,300,000 m3 (430,000,000 cu ft) |
Impounds | Paraná River |
Spillway capacity | 62,200 m3/s (2,196,572 cu ft/s) |
Reservoir |
Creates | Itaipu Reservoir |
Capacity | 29,000,000,000 m3 (24,000,000 acre·ft) |
Catchment area | 1,350,000 km2 (520,000 sq mi) |
Surface area | 1,350 km2 (520 sq mi) |
Reservoir length | 170 km (110 mi) |
Max. reservoir width | 12 km (7.5 mi) |Power station |
Type | Conventional |
Hydraulic head | 118 m (387 ft) |
Turbines | 20 × 700 MW Francis-type |
Installed capacity | 14,000 MW |
Annual generation | 91.6 TWh (2009) |
Net generation | 1,761 TWh (2009) |
Website
www.itaipu.gov.br
www.itaipu.gov.py |
The Itaipu Dam (Guarani: Itaipu, Portuguese: Itaipu, Spanish: Itaipú; Portuguese pronunciation: [ita.iˈpu], Spanishpronunciation: [itaiˈpu]) is a hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. The name "Itaipu" was taken from an isle that existed near the construction site. In the Guarani language, Itaipu means "the sound of a stone". The American composer Philip Glass has also written a symphonic cantata named Itaipu, in honour of the structure.
The dam is the largest operatinghydroelectric facility in terms of annual generating capacity, generating 94.7 TWh in 2008 and 91.6 TWh in 2009, while the annual generating capacity of the Three Gorges Dam was 80.8 TWh in 2008 and 79.4 TWh in 2009.[1] The dam's 14,000 MW installed capacity is second to the Three Gorges Dam's 22,500 MW though. It is a binational undertaking run by Brazil and Paraguay at the Paraná River on the bordersection between the two countries, 15 km (9.3 mi) north of the Friendship Bridge. The project ranges from Foz do Iguaçu, in Brazil, and Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, in the south to Guaíra and Salto del Guairá in the north. The installed generation capacity of the plant is 14 GW, with 20 generating units providing 700 MW each with a hydraulic design head of 118 m. In 2008 the plant generated a record94.68 billion kWh, supplying 90% of the electricity consumed by Paraguay and 19% of that consumed by Brazil.[2]
Of the twenty generator units currently installed, ten generate at 50 Hz for Paraguay and ten generate at 60 Hz for Brazil. Two 600 kV HVDC lines, each approximately 800 km long, carry both Brazilian and Paraguayan energy to São Paulo where the terminal equipment converts the power to60 Hz.
Contents * 1 History * 1.1 Negotiations between Brazil and Paraguay * 1.2 Construction starts * 1.3 Paraná River rerouted * 1.4 Agreement by Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina * 1.5 Formation of the lake * 1.6 Start of operations * 1.7 Capacity expansion in 2007 * 2 November 2009 power failure * 3 Wonder of the Modern World * 4 Social andenvironmental impacts * 5 Statistics * 5.1 Construction * 5.2 Generating station and dam * 5.3 Generation * 6 See also * 7 References * 8 External links |
[edit] History
[edit] Negotiations between Brazil and Paraguay
The concept behind Itaipu Power Plant was the result of heavy negotiations between the two countries during the 1960s. The "Ata do Iguaçu" (Iguaçu Act) was signed on...