Nicolas De Corte/123RF
The Itaipu Dam is located on the Paraná River between Paraguay and Brazil
What has enough iron and steel to build 380 Eiffel Towers, enough concrete to build a highway from Moscow, Russia, to Lisbon, Portugal, is 643 feet high, and 5 miles wide? Itaipu Dam, of course! Located on the Paraná River on the border between Paraguay and Brazil, just north of Ciudad del Este, Itaipu Dam is the world’s largest hydroelectric power plant. Hydroelectric power is electrical power produced by using the gravity of falling water as the power source.
The dam was a joint venture of the governments of Paraguay and Brazil. Both countries needed a more efficient way to use water from their rivers for crops, cattle, and industries. In the 1960s, negotiations began between the two countries and a treaty was signed in 1973. Even before construction of the plant began in 1975, engineers had to redirect the course of the huge Paraná River, the seventh-largest river in the world, moving 55 million tons of rock and earth to create a bypass. The building of the dam took 40,000 workers and cost $18 billion. When the original 18 generators were completed in 1982, the canal gates were closed, forming the dam’s reservoir, or artificial lake. The lake is more than 100 miles long and holds about 29 billion tons of water.
Today the dam, actually four dams joined together, has a power plant that consists of 20 generators, or engines, with a generating capacity of 14,000 megawatts. This means that the maximum flow is 62.2 thousand cubic meters per second—40 times the flow of nearby Iguazú Falls! The dam provides 87 percent of Paraguay’s power and about 19 percent of Brazil’s power. A treaty between Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, however, only allows 18 units to operate at one time, placing a limit on how much the water levels could be raised in the watershed shared by the three countries. Argentina was concerned that if a conflict arose, Brazil could open the flood gates and flood Buenos Aires.
Explore More:
1. More than nine million people have visited Itaipu Dam since 1991. Visitors can’t help but be overwhelmed by the size of this amazing project. Look on the Internet for stunning images and videos of the dam. Would you be interested in visiting the dam? If so, what would you be most interested in learning more about? Its inner workings? Its size? The reservoir? Relations between Paraguay and Brazil? The dam’s environmental impact? Research one of these topics and lead a class discussion about it.
2. Hoover Dam is a similar dam in the United States. Research and compare the two dams in terms of type, size, and production of power.
Share What You Know:
The American Society of Civil Engineers named Itaipu Dam as one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Brainstorm what the other six might be. Then research to see how many you got correct. Discuss other impressive projects you would like to see added to the list.