The Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam, shared between Paraguay and Brazil, celebrates this Friday 40 years since its official inauguration, which took place on October 25, 1984. On the same date, the simultaneous supply of electrical energy to the two co-owning countries began, although the plant had already started generating electricity on May 5 of that year.
The plant currently has 20 generating units and an installed capacity of 14,000 megawatts (MW). Itaipu supplies approximately 86 percent of the electric market in Paraguay and 9 percent in Brazil. According to an official report from the binational entity, at the inauguration, the presidents of Paraguay and Brazil at the time, Alfredo Stroessner and João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo, officially inaugurated the Hydroelectric Dam.
During a commemorative event, the operation of the first two generating units was initiated, which were the largest in the world at that time. This historic milestone took place from the honor stage and marked the beginning of a long journey for the dam.
Over these 40 years, the Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam has maintained its position as a world leader in energy production, as well as in standards of efficiency in water use and availability of its machines, with a clear focus on sustainability. Today, it remains the largest generator of clean and renewable hydroelectric energy accumulated on the planet, with a production that exceeds 3,036,700 gigawatt hours (GWh) since it began operations.
