Location
The Itaipu Dam is found on the Paean river, close to the Brazil - Paraguay border. The dam is located in the Parana region in Brazil, close to the Iguassu Falls. It has one of the world's largest hydro-electric power stations.

Map reproduced from the Oxford Practical Atlas with permission from Oxford University Press.

 Facts

• Construction started in January 1975 and finished in 1982.

• It took 30,000 people 7 years to build the Itaipu Dam. 

• It cost $20 billion to build.

• The dam supplies electricity to Brazil and Paraguay.

• The dam is 7.76 kilometres long and 196 metres high.

• The reservoir behind the dam has an area of 1350 square kilometres.

• It is a hollow gravity type dam.

• The Itaipu Dam generates 75 billion kilowatts of electricity per year.

History of the Itaipu Dam

• In 1966 Brazil and Paraguay signed an agreement to develop the water resources of both countries.

• In 1973 Brazil and Paraguay signed the ITAIPU Treaty to build a dam.

• In 1975 construction started on the Itaipu Dam.

• In 1978 Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay signed a treaty to use the water from the Parana River in the Itaipu Project. This is the river where the Itaipu Dam is built.

• In 1982 the land behind the dam was flooded and within 14 days the reservoir was created.

• In 1984 Itaipu started generating electricity.

• In 1991 the 18th generating unit started producing electricity.

The Itaipu Dam

Reasons for building the Itaipu Dam

There had been many droughts in Brazil and Paraguay. The governments in both countries wanted to use water from the rivers effectively. They wanted to have enough water for people in their homes. Farmers needed water for crops and for cattle. Factories and industries also needed water.

Advantages of building the Itaipu Dam

1) The water from the reservoir is used to supply homes and factories for the south, south-eastern and mid-eastern regions of Brazil. It also supplies water to many homes and factories in Paraguay.

2) Farmers can use the water from the reservoir to irrigate (water) their crops. They can also use the water for their cattle and animals to drink. The farmers can also collect water from the River Parana. Some of the gates in the Itaipu Dam are left open so that the water level in the River Parana is the same level throughout the year.

3) People can now visit the Iguassu National Park to look at the wildlife there. Before the dam was built, there was no road and it was difficult to travel there.

4) The dam is also a hydroelectric power station. There are18 turbines or engines in the dam wall. These turbines are turned by the water to make electricity. Cables take the electricity to homes and factories in Brazil and Paraguay. Without electricity people would not be able to watch television, or use fridges and cookers. There would also be no lighting.

5) The Governements of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay created seven areas of wildlife habitat so that animals and plants could be protected.

Problems created by building the dam

1) Sometimes the dam can get blocked with mud and silt. It is expensive to clean the dam out. The mud and silt can cause diseases in the water in the reservoir. Unless the water in the reservoir is cleaned, people can get these diseases.

2) The land behind the dam and reservoir had to be flooded. Much of this land was rainforest and the trees had to be cut down. Many parrots died because their homes in the trees were destroyed.