The Itaipú
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 Paraná River, Itaipú 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 Itaipú 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 (twice that of the highest flood-level on record).
The Itaipu dam is 7,919 meters long (counting the Hernandarias dike) 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.
Text by J. Sampaio and L. Silva. Used with permission.
Source:
http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/Modern/itaipu.html
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hybiggest.html
Page Contact Information: Howard Perlman
Page Last Modified: Friday, 16-Jan-2009 09:47:30 EST
