Itaipu Dam Explained

Itaipu Dam
Spanish; Castilian: Represa de Itaipú
Portuguese: Barragem de Itaipu
Name Official:Central Hidroeléctrica Itaipú Binacional
Usina Hidrelétrica Itaipu Binacional
Location Map:Paraguay#Brazil
Location Map Caption:Location of the Dam
Coordinates:-25.4081°N -54.5889°W
Country:Brazil
Paraguay
Location:Foz do Iguaçu
Hernandarias
Status:Operational
Construction Began:January 1971
Opening:5 May 1984
Cost:US$19.6 billion (equivalent to $ billion today)
Owner:Government of Brazil & Government of Paraguay
Dam Type:Combination gravity, buttress and embankment sections
Dam Length:7919m (25,981feet)
Dam Height:196m (643feet), reinf. concrete Barrage at Rock side
Dam Volume:12300000m2
Dam Crosses:Paraná River
Spillway Capacity:62200m3/s
Res Name:Itaipu Reservoir
Res Capacity Total:29km3
Res Catchment:1350000km2
Res Surface:1350km2
Res Max Length:170km (110miles)
Res Max Width:12km (07miles)
Plant Type:C
Plant Turbines:20 × 700MW Francis-type
Plant Hydraulic Head:118m (387feet)
Plant Capacity:14 GW
Plant Capacity Factor:62,3% (2020)
Plant Annual Gen:76.382TWh (2020)[1]
Website:www.itaipu.gov.br
www.itaipu.gov.py

The Itaipu Dam (Guarani: Yjoko Itaipu pronounced as /gn/; Portuguese: Barragem de Itaipu pronounced as /pt-BR/; Spanish; Castilian: Represa de Itaipú pronounced as /es/) is a hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. It is the third largest hydroelectric dam in the world, and holds the 45th largest reservoir in the world.

The name "Itaipu" was taken from an isle that existed near the construction site. In the Guarani language, Guarani: Itaipu means "the sounding stone".[2] The Itaipu Dam's hydroelectric power plant produced the second-most electricity of any in the world as of 2020, only surpassed by the Three Gorges Dam plant in China in electricity production.

Completed in 1984, it is a binational undertaking run by Brazil and Paraguay at the border between the two countries, 15km (09miles) 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 . In 2016, the plant employed 3038 workers.[3]

Of the twenty generator units currently installed, ten generate at 50 Hz for Paraguay and ten generate at 60 Hz for Brazil. Since the output capacity of the Paraguayan generators far exceeds the load in Paraguay, most of their production is exported directly to the Brazilian side, from where two 600 kV HVDC lines, each approximately long, carry the majority of the energy to the São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro region where the terminal equipment converts the power to 60 Hz.

History

Negotiations between Brazil and Paraguay

The concept behind the Itaipu Power Plant was the result of serious negotiations between the two countries during the 1960s. The "Ata do Iguaçu" (Iguaçu Act) was signed on July 22, 1966, by the Brazilian and Paraguayan Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Juracy Magalhães and Raúl Sapena Pastor. This was a joint declaration of the mutual interest in studying the exploitation of the hydro resources that the two countries shared in the section of the Paraná River starting from, and including, the Salto de Sete Quedas, to the Iguaçu River watershed. The treaty that gave origin to the power plant was signed in 1973.

The terms of the treaty, which expires in 2023, have been the subject of widespread discontent in Paraguay. The government of President Lugo vowed to renegotiate the terms of the treaty with Brazil, which long remained hostile to any renegotiation.[4] [5]

In 2009, Brazil agreed to a fairer payment of electricity to Paraguay and also allowed Paraguay to sell excess power directly to Brazilian companies instead of solely through the Brazilian electricity monopoly.[6] [7]

Construction starts

In 1970, the consortium formed by the companies ELC Electroconsult S.p.A. (from Italy) and IECO (from the United States)[8] won the international competition for the realization of the viability studies and for the elaboration of the construction project. Design studies began in February 1971. On April 26, 1973, Brazil and Paraguay signed the Itaipu Treaty, the legal instrument for the hydroelectric exploitation of the Paraná River by the two countries. On May 17, 1974, the Itaipu Binacional entity was created to administer the plant's construction. The construction began in January of the following year. Brazil's (and Latin America's) first electric car was introduced in late 1974; it received the name Itaipu in honor of the project.[9]

Paraná River rerouted

On October 14, 1978, the Paraná River had its route changed, which allowed a section of the riverbed to dry so the dam could be built there.

Agreement by Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina

The construction of the dam was first contested by Argentina, but the negotiations and resolution of the dispute ended up setting the basis for Argentine–Brazilian integration later on.[10] An important diplomatic settlement was reached with the signing of the Acordo Tripartite by Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, on October 19, 1979. This agreement established the allowed river levels and how much they could change as a result of the various hydroelectrical undertakings in the watershed that was shared by the three countries.

Formation of the lake

See main article: Itaipu Lake. The reservoir began its formation on October 13, 1982, when the dam works were completed and the side canal's gates were closed. Throughout this period, heavy rains and flooding accelerated the filling of the reservoir as the water rose 100abbr=offNaNabbr=off and reached the gates of the spillway on October 27.

Start of operations

On May 5, 1984, the first generation unit started running in Itaipu. The first 18 units were installed at the rate of two to three a year; the last two of these started running in the year 1991.

Capacity expansion in 2007

The last two of the 20 electric generation units started operations in September 2006 and in March 2007, thus raising the installed capacity to 14 GW and completing the power plant. This increase in capacity allows 18 generation units to run permanently while two are shut down for maintenance. Due to a clause in the treaty signed between Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, the maximum number of generating units allowed to operate simultaneously cannot exceed 18 (see the agreement section for more information).

The rated nominal power of each generating unit (turbine and generator) is 700 MW. However, because the head (difference between reservoir level and the river level at the bottom of the dam) that actually occurs is higher than the designed head, the power available exceeds 750 MW half of the time for each generator.Each turbine generates around 700 MW; by comparison, all the water from the Iguaçu Falls would have the capacity to feed only two generators.

November 2009 power failure

See main article: 2009 Brazil and Paraguay blackout.

On November 10, 2009, transmission from the plant was completely disrupted, possibly due to a storm damaging up to three high-voltage transmission lines.[11] Itaipu itself was not damaged. This caused massive power outages in Brazil and Paraguay, blacking out the entire country of Paraguay for 15 minutes, and plunging Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo into darkness for more than 2 hours. 50 million people were reportedly affected.[12] The blackout occurred at 22:13 local time. It affected the southeast of Brazil most severely, leaving São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo completely without electricity. Blackouts also swept through the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, the interior of Bahia and parts of Pernambuco, energy officials said.[13] By 00:30 power had been restored to most areas.

Wonder of the Modern World

In 1994, the American Society of Civil Engineers elected the Itaipu Dam as one of the seven modern Wonders of the World. In 1995, the American magazine Popular Mechanics published the results.

Social and environmental impacts

When construction of the dam began, approximately 10,000 families living beside the Paraná River were displaced because of construction.[14] [15]

The world's largest waterfall by volume, the Guaíra Falls, was inundated by the newly formed Itaipu reservoir. The Brazilian government later liquidated the Guaíra Falls National Park. A few months before the reservoir was filled, 80 people died when an overcrowded bridge overlooking the falls collapsed, as tourists sought a last glimpse of the falls.[16]

The Guaíra Falls was an effective barrier that separated freshwater species in the upper Paraná basin (with its many endemics) from species found below it, and the two are recognized as different ecoregions.[17] After the falls disappeared, many species formerly restricted to one of these areas have been able to invade the other, causing problems typically associated with introduced species. For example, more than 30 fish species that formerly were restricted to the region below the falls have been able to invade the region above.[17]

The American composer Philip Glass has written a symphonic cantata named Itaipu, in honour of the structure.

The Santa Maria Ecological Corridor now connects the Iguaçu National Park with the protected margins of Lake Itaipu, and via these margins with the Ilha Grande National Park.

Statistics

Construction

Generating station and dam

Generation

Although its designed peak generating capacity is only 14,000 MW, behind the 22,500 MW Three Gorges Dam, the dam formerly held the record for energy production with 101.6 TWh produced in 2016. This record was beaten in 2020, when the Three Gorges Dam produced a new record 111.8 TWh after extensive monsoon rainfall that year.[20]

In the period 2012–2021, the Itaipu Dam maintained the second highest average annual hydroelectric production in the world averaging 89.22 TWh per year, second to the 97.22 TWh per year average of the Three Gorges Dam in that period.

Annual production of energy
Year Installed units
1984 0–2 2.770
1985 2–3 6.327
1986 3–6 21.853
1987 6–9 35.807
1988 9–12 38.508
1989 12–15 47.230
1990 15–16 53.090
1991 16–18 57.517
1992 18 52.268
1993 18 59.997
1994 18 69.394
1995 18 77.212
1996 18 81.654
1997 18 89.237
1998 18 87.845
1999 18 90.001
2000 18 93.428
2001 18 79.300
2004 18 89.911
2005 18 87.971
2006 19 92.690
2007 20 90.620
2008 20 94.684
2009 20 91.652
2010 20 85.970
2011 20 92.246[21]
2012 20 98.287[22]
2013 20 98.630[23] [24]
2014 20 87.8
2015 20 89.2[25]
2016 20 103.1[26]
2017 20 96.387
2018 20 96.585
2019 20 79.444
2020 20 76.382[27]
2021 20 66.369
2022 20 69.873
2023 20 83.879[28]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Energy | Itaipu Binacional.
  2. Web site: Energy. 4 July 2014. Itaipu Binacional. 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140412010023/http://www.itaipu.gov.br/en/energy/energy. 12 April 2014. dead.
  3. Web site: Number of employees | ITAIPU BINACIONAL . 2017-02-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170217142721/https://www.itaipu.gov.br/en/human-resources/number-employees . 2017-02-17 . dead .
  4. Web site: Nickson. Andrew. Paraguay: Lugo versus the Colorado Machine. Open Democracy. 20 February 2008. 3 August 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090803073835/http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/democracy_power/politics_protest/paraguay_fernando_lugo. 3 August 2009. live.
  5. Web site: Mander. Benedict. Brazil's Itaipú dam treaty with Paraguay up for renewal. Financial Times. 20 September 2017. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/bf02af96-7eb8-11e7-ab01-a13271d1ee9c . 2022-12-10 . subscription.
  6. News: 26 July 2009. Why Brazil gave way on Itaipu dam. 2009-07-26. BBC. https://web.archive.org/web/20090726101650/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8169139.stm. 26 July 2009. live.
  7. News: New York Times. Alexei. Barrionuevo. July 27, 2009. A10. Energy Deal With Brazil Gives Boost to Paraguay. February 24, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170820035519/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/world/americas/27paraguay.html. August 20, 2017. live.
  8. International Engineering Company, Inc. (IECO) was a subsidiary of Morrison-Knudsen. See Web site: Morrison-Knudsen Company, Inc. . Baker Library, Harvard Business School . 2014-09-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150319173455/http://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/lehman/company.html?company=morrison_knudsen_company_inc . 2015-03-19 . live .
  9. Web site: Clássicos: Grandes Brasileiros: Gurgel Itaipu . Classics: Brazilian Greats: Gurgel Itaipu . pt . Pereira . Fabiano . Quatro Rodas . April 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070830163205/http://quatrorodas.abril.com.br/classicos/brasileiros/conteudo_229224.shtml . 2007-08-30 .
  10. Schenoni . Luis . Regional Power Transitions: Lessons from the Southern Cone . GIGA Working Papers . 2016 . 2017-03-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180920114823/http://www.academia.edu/29398128/Regional_Power_Transitions_Lessons_from_the_Southern_Cone . 2018-09-20 . live .
  11. News: Apagão teve origem em função de condições meteorológicas, diz MME. 2009-11-11. Diego. Abreu. Globo News. 2009-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20091114090205/http://g1.globo.com/Sites/Especiais/Noticias/0,,MUL1374655-17814,00-APAGAO+TEVE+ORIGEM+EM+FUNCAO+DE+CONDICOES+METEOROLOGICAS+DIZ+MME.html. 2009-11-14. dead.
  12. News: 2009-11-11. BBC. Major Power Failures Hit Brazil. 2009-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20091111100938/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8353878.stm. 2009-11-11. live.
  13. News: Alexei. Barrionuevo. New York Times. November 11, 2009. Brazil Looks for Answers After Huge Blackout. February 24, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170831034359/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/world/americas/12brazil.html. August 31, 2017. live.
  14. News & Notes . Water and Energy International . 61. 4. 2004.
  15. Terminski, Bogumil (2013). "Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement: Theoretical Frameworks and Current Challenges", Indiana University, available at: http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/handle/10535/8833?show=full
  16. Web site: Farewell, Seven Falls. Glenn. Switkes. 2008-03-14. 2010-03-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20100121063123/http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/blog/glenn-switkes/farewell-seven-falls. 2010-01-21. dead.
  17. Júlio Júnior . Horácio Ferreira . Tós . Claudenice Dei . Agostinho . Ângelo Antonio . Pavanelli . Carla Simone . A massive invasion of fish species after eliminating a natural barrier in the upper rio Paraná basin . Neotropical Ichthyology . 2009 . 7 . 4 . 709–718 . 10.1590/S1679-62252009000400021.
  18. Web site: Seven Wonders of the Modern World: The Itaipu Dam. unmuseum.org. 2014-04-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20140107110217/http://www.unmuseum.org/7wonders/megadam.htm. 2014-01-07. dead.
  19. Web site: Itaipu binacional – Technical data – Comparisons . February 16, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070216222828/http://www.itaipu.gov.br/ . February 16, 2007 . dead .
  20. Web site: Three Gorges Dam sets power generation record in 2020 . 31 May 2021.
  21. Web site: Energia de Itaipu poderia suprir o planeta por 43 horas . pt . Economia – Bonde. O seu portal . 2012-01-02 . 2012-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120417082034/http://www.bonde.com.br/?id_bonde=1-39--12-20120102&tit=energia+de+itaipu+poderia+suprir+o+planeta+por+43+horas . 2012-04-17 . live .
  22. News: Itaipú supera récord mundial de producción de energía . Última Hora . Asunción . es . 2013-01-04 . 2013-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130108021157/http://www.ultimahora.com/notas/590071-Itaipu-supera-record-mundial-de-produccion-de-energia . 2013-01-08 . live .
  23. News: Drought curbs Itaipu hydro output. 5 January 2015. Business News Americas. 5 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150108112553/http://www.bnamericas.com/news/electricpower/drought-curbs-itaipu-hydro-output. 8 January 2015. live.
  24. News: Consumo aumenta e Itaipu supera recorde de 2012 . 2014-01-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140116121438/http://www.itaipu.gov.br/sala-de-imprensa/noticia/consumo-aumenta-e-itaipu-supera-recorde-de-2012 . 2014-01-16 . live .
  25. News: Itaipu superó a represa china en producción de energía . 2016-01-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160109211032/http://www.abc.com.py/nacionales/itaipu-supero-a-china-en-produccion-de-energia-1442171.html . 2016-01-09 . live .
  26. News: Brasil retiró casi 92 millones MWh de la producción récord de Itaipú. 2017-01-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20170103003826/http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/economia/brasil-retiro-casi-92-millones-mwh-de-la-produccion-record-de-itaipu-1552332.html. 2017-01-03. dead.
  27. Web site: Energy | Itaipu Binacional.
  28. Web site: https://www.itaipu.gov.br/sala-de-imprensa/noticia/itaipu-fecha-2023-com-melhor-producao-dos-ultimos-cinco-anos.