Two Beers and a Pretzel

Pronounced ih-tie-poo…

The Itaipu dam is a partnership between Brazil and Paraguay that started with a major bi-national treaty back in the 60′s.  It features the concrete structure in addition to an earth-rock-clay structure, an impressive concrete spillway, a 10km long fish migration channel to help spawning fish navigate the 120 meter change in altitude, an ecological preserve, and technological education center.  You can find out much more at http://www.itaipu.gov.br/index.php?q=en

At over 7.7 kilometers, Itaipu was the longest dam in the world until Three Gorges was built in China.  With very similar design (multiple semi-hollow pyramids).  Itaipu has 20 turbines versus 30 at Three Gorges.  Despite the higher design capacity in China, Itaipu set the current world record for power production (94.68 million Megawatt Hours in 2008) due to the high flow of the river (the reservoir here only fluctuates about 3 meters from max to min), and one of the best maintenance and operational down-time ratings in the industry.  They say Three Gorges is only seasonally able to generate part of it’s power because it depends on meting ice in the spring and summer, and even then it still has not hit max capacity because its’ reservoir is not yet full.

Officially, Brazil owns 1/2 the generating capacity and Paraguay owns the other 1/2, but Paraguay is currently generating 96% of it’s power needs from the dam (with the other 4% from another facility) using only about 2 of its’ turbines.  Paraguay runs on 50Hz and Brazil runs on 60Hz, so Paraguay sells it’s excess power to Brazil which is transmitted to a Sao Paulo substation before it is converted to 60Hz.

On Saturday, our tour started outside the dam on the lower level…

These photos give you an idea of the hollow pyramid structure…

In the preceding photo, you may be able to distinguish the original riverbed – 70 meters below where I’m standing.

then we went on top…

Into Paraguay (though technically still part of the international area of the dam, thus avoiding visa requirements) and finally inside the dam to see the control room which straddles the border between Brazil and Paraguay (the dark line on the floor – pic taken from the Paraguay side)…

… into the 1 kilometer long main hall.  The red sections of the floor are removable plates to allow service access to the generators and turbines.

Look at me getting skinny.  I’ve lost 5 more lbs since Christmas!!  Those pants barely fit back in Ohio – now they’re almost too big.

Now, a video of one of the turbine shafts…

Aside from the noise, you could sense the power of the turbine.  Considering that just over your head is a massive electromagnetic field generating 700 Mega-Watts of electricity.  The whole structure vibrates, but the turbine shaft will exhaust you just standing nearby.  It’s a very strange feeling, like all the energy is being drained out of your body as you watch the turbine shaft spin.

Aside from a slight dehydration headache (Rafa and some Canadian girls we met on the waterfall tour forced me to go drinking Friday night) and being a little sick from ingesting some river water in the boat under the falls, it was still very worth seeing Itaipu, and definitely worth ponying up the extra money for the special facility tour…

Later that afternoon Rafa and I caught separate buses.  I went back to my uncle in Porto Alegre, and Rafa went back to her home on Santa Caterina.  A sad goodbye after spending nearly a month together.  I’m really going to miss her, but I know I’ll see her again.

After 14 hours on a bus, I’m finally back with my Uncle in Porto Alegre.  I need some downtime to plan the next part of my trip.  We’re also planning an eco-tourism excursion into the nearby mountains next weekend.