The Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Project grew out of a 1973 treaty between Brazil and Paraguay establishing Itaipu Binacional, a jointly owned company charged with building and operating a dam on the shared stretch of the Parana River. Construction began in 1975 and the first generating unit entered service in 1984, with the full complement of 20 units completed by 1991 and later upgraded. The project stands as a rare example of a major energy scheme built and governed jointly by two sovereign states, with output split between them under the founding treaty, and it long supplied a large share of both countries' electricity.
Facts
Project TypeHydroelectric Dam Project 1 LocationBrazil and Paraguay border (Parana River) 1 Completion Year StatusCompleted in stages; fully operational since the final generating unit was commissioned in 1991 2 Scale14,000 MW installed capacity from 20 generating units, the world's second-largest hydroelectric station by capacity 2 Connections
Uses Source
Hydroelectric project on the Parana River, Brazil-Paraguay border.
Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
2. International Hydropower Association Official Site
International Hydropower Associationhttps://www.hydropower.org/iha/discover-history-of-hydropowerQuote, https://www.hydropower.org/iha/discover-history-of-hydropower
The Itaipu Dam, straddling Brazil and Paraguay, opened in 1984 with a capacity of 12,600 MW - it has since been enlarged and upgraded to 14,000 MW - and is today only eclipsed in size by the 22,500 MW Three Gorges Dam in China.
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