Itaipu Dam
| Itaipu Dam Presa Itaipu Barragem de Itaipu |
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 Location of the Dam
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| 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°WCoordinates: 25°24′29″S 54°35′20″W / 25.40806°S 54.58889°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | January 1971 |
| Opening date | 5 May 1984 |
| Construction cost | US$19.6 billion |
| Owner(s) | Itaipu Binational |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Combination gravity, buttress and embankment sections |
| Impounds | Paraná River |
| Height | 196 m (643 ft) |
| Length | 7,919 m (25,981 ft) |
| Dam volume | 12,300,000 m3 (430,000,000 cu ft) |
| Spillway capacity | 62,200 m3/s (2,200,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Itaipu Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 29 km3 (24,000,000 acre·ft) |
| Catchment area | 1,350,000 km2 (520,000 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 1,350 km2 (520 sq mi) |
| Maximum length | 170 km (110 mi) |
| Maximum width | 12 km (7.5 mi) |
| Power station | |
| Type | Conventional |
| Hydraulic head | 118 m (387 ft) |
| Turbines | 20 × 700 MW (940,000 hp) Francis-type |
| Installed capacity | 14 GW (19,000,000 hp) |
| Annual generation | 89.5 TWh (322 PJ) (2015) |
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Website www.itaipu.gov.br www.itaipu.gov.py |
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The Itaipu Dam (Guarani: Presa Itaipu, Portuguese: Barragem de Itaipu, Spanish: Represa de Itaipú; Portuguese pronunciation: [itɐjˈpu], locally: [ita.iˈpu], Spanish pronunciation: [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 sounding stone". Completed in 1984, it is a binational undertaking run by Brazil and Paraguay at the border 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 metres (387 ft). In 2016 the plant generated a record 103.1 TWh, supplying approximately 75% of the electricity consumed by Paraguay and 17% of that consumed by Brazil. The plant employs 3038 (2016) workers.
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 800 kilometres (500 mi) 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.
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Wikipedia