The world's largest hydroelectric plant

The Itaipu hydroelectric power plant is the largest development of its kind in operation in the world. Built from 1975 to 1991, in a joint development on the Parana River, Itaipu represents the efforts and accomplishments of two neighboring countries, Brazil and Paraguay. The power plant's 20 generating units add up to a total production capacity of 14,000 MW (megawatts). In 2000, the power plant generated 93,428 GWh (gigawatthours) of electricity, a word record for hydroelectricity generation.


The magnitude of the project also can be demonstrated by the fact that in 2000 Itaipu alone provided 20% of the energy supply in Brazil and 94% in Paraguay. The Spillway is located on the right bank, and it has 14 segmented sluice-gates with a total potential discharge rate of 62,200 cubic meters per second.


The Itaipu dam is 7,919 meters long with a maximum height of 196 meters, equivalent to a 65-story building. It consumed 12.3 million cubic meters of concrete, while the iron and steel employed would permit the construction of 380 Eiffel Towers: dimensions that transformed the power plant into a reference with respect to concrete studies and dam safety.