Production since the plant began operating in 1984 would be capable of supplying the world for 43 days
The hydroelectric plant in Itaipu, located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay, reached this Saturday (March 9, 2024) the level of 3 billion MWh (megawatt-hour) of energy produced. This is a historic milestone in the generation of energy accumulated since the start of operation of the binational plant, in May 1984.
To give you an idea of the size, this volume of energy would be capable of supplying the entire planet for 43 days. In a national comparison, this same amount would be enough to meet Brazil's demand for 5 years and 11 months. In the case of Paraguay, it would be possible to ensure supply for 221 years.
With the brand, Itaipu consolidates itself as the plant that produced the most renewable energy on the planet. The Three Gorges hydroelectric plant, in China, surpassed the Brazilian-Paraguayan annual production, currently having an installed capacity of 22,600 MW compared to 14 thousand MW at Itaipu. Considering historical generation, however, the Chinese generated a total of 1.66 billion MWh by 2023.
Itaipu began generating energy on May 5, 1984. It took 17 years to reach the first billion MWh, a mark reached in June 2001, when Brazil was facing a serious energy rationing crisis. The 2 billion MWh mark came 11 years and 2 months later.
The plant's annual production rate has been changing, not only due to some years of poor water conditions, but also due to the change in the composition of the Brazilian electrical matrix and the profile of the load served by the plant.
In recent years, the Brazilian matrix has seen a strong expansion of wind and solar plants, which despite also being renewable sources, are intermittent. This is because their production is highly variable as it depends on the presence of sun and wind, whose availability varies throughout the day.
As hydroelectric power is a source that can have its production controlled instantly, it makes it possible to compensate for the natural variation in generation from wind and solar sources (and energy consumption itself). As Itaipu is a large hydroelectric plant, it ends up functioning as a kind of natural battery for the electrical system.
Due to the expansion of these other renewable sources, it is also possible to observe a change in the demand profile in the SIN (National Interconnected System), with large consumption peaks in the late afternoon. On some occasions, Itaipu contributes up to 30% of the service at these times, in addition to helping when intermittent sources vary.
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