PROJECT THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: ItaIpu damjie.itaipu.gov.br/sites/default/files/u1017/create_Dec...
Transcript of PROJECT THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: ItaIpu damjie.itaipu.gov.br/sites/default/files/u1017/create_Dec...
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ITAIPU DAM
A dam that created a lake 170 km long and an average seven km wide is also one of the world’s largest generators of renewable, clean energy. Chris Sheedy tells the story of mega dam Itaipu, an engineering wonder that brought two countries together.
In the 1960s, in the mighty Parana river of
Central south america which runs for 4880 km
and is second only in length to the amazon, a
small islet bravely stood amidst the rush of water.
on the border of Brazil and Paraguay, the
island and stretch of river around it, known as
‘itaipu’, was immortalised when work began nearby
on one of the largest dams the world had ever
known. the dam would be given the island’s name.
it was an admirable gesture, but would soon be
forgotten as the enormity of the dam’s construction
was realised. Concept negotiations between
Brazilian and Paraguayan government ministers
had taken several years, with an act finally being
signed in 1966. Design studies did not begin
until 1971 and in 1973 a treaty, an essential legal
instrument allowing hydroelectric exploitation by
both nations, was signed.
“if itaipu is currently the largest generator of
clean, renewable energy on the planet, it is because
it overcame numerous challenges, even before
the project started,” says itaipu’s engineering
superintendent, Jorge Habib Hanna el Khouri.
“the first challenge was overcoming the deadlock
regarding the border dispute between Brazil and
Paraguay. the vision that led to the creation of itaipu
Binacional [formed to oversee the building of the
dam and its ongoing management] was
beyond power generation for both countries –
the integration between nations was also a goal.”
ItaIpu dam
PROJECT THAT CHANGED THE WORLD:
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ItaIpu dam: by the numbers
ReseRvoiRWater volume at the usual maximum level: 29 billion m³
extension: 170 km
Usual maximum level (quota): 220 m
Area in the usual maximum level: 1350 km²
spillWAyMaximum outflow: 62.2 thousand m³/s
Maximum release capability: 162,200 m³/s
length: 483 m
Gates: 14 units
Gate size: 21 m/high and 20 m/wide
DAMHeight: 196 m
Total length: 7919 m
RiveR BAsinArea: 820,000 km²
Average annual rainfall: 1650 mm
Average outflow: 11,663 m³/s
GeneRATinG UniTspower: 700 MW
voltage: 18 kV
Frequency: 50 to 60 Hz
Drop: 118.4 m
Rated outflow: 690 m³/s
Weight: 6600 t
poWeR HoUselength: 968 m
Width: 99 m
Maximum height: 112 m
pensTocksQuantity: 20
length: 142 m
inside diameter: 10.5 m
Rated release: 690 m³/s
TURBinesoutflow: 700 m³ of water/s
excAvATionsvolume of soil excavated: 23.6 million m³
MATeRiAlsvolume of concrete used: 12.7 million m³
Above: The world famous Iguazu Falls are a few kms from the Itaipu Dam, but in a different catchment.
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ITAIPU DAM
“the initial task was to create a sustainable
governance model in the long-run. the itaipu
treaty, approved by the congresses of both
countries, consumed enormous diplomatic efforts
to achieve a fair and balanced document. thus, the
treaty complied with the aim of solving the border
issue and, at the same time, it opened a perspective
of development for Brazil and Paraguay, through
the power generation business.”
Engineering epicin 1975, work began. after the construction of
essential buildings and roads, the first major job was
the seemingly impossible rerouting of one of the
world’s mightiest rivers. around 55 million cubic
metres of earth was removed in order to excavate a
two-kilometre detour – 150 m wide and 90 m deep
– to give engineers a dry river bed to work on. two
cofferdams that had been built to protect the new
river course were destroyed on 20 october, 1978,
with the help of 58 t of dynamite, sending the river
on its new path.
at the same time, between 1975 and 1978, over
9000 houses were built on both river banks in a
process that el Khouri calls “a true engineering
epic”. the resulting city, known as Foz do iguacu,
had a population of around 20,000 and boasted its
own hospital.
speaking of settlement and re-settlement, a recent
academic study conducted within the university
of geneva, on the topic of development-induced
displacement and resettlement, said that even before
work began on itaipu Dam around 10,000 people
living by or near the river had to be moved to
new locations.
By the time the dam was complete, the report
says, around 59,000 people had been displaced.
similar numbers of people had to be re-settled for
Brazil’s sobradinho and itaparica Dams.
The first major job was rerouting one of the world’s mightiest rivers.
Maintenance works underway.
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ITAIPU DAM
types of damsItaipu is actually a combination of four dams. The main dam is a concrete ‘gravity dam’ – meaning the sheer bulk of the wall holds the water back. Three other dams were built to create the 7.9-km mega-dam.
They consist of an earthfill dam and a rockfill dam (both ‘embankment dams’), and a concrete ‘wing dam’, a barrier that extends part of the way into the river to force the water into a fast-moving channel.
There are several types of dams, each used for different purposes or to suit various environmental factors. Here are some examples.
GRAviTy DAMTypically a massive dam made with concrete or stone masonry. A gravity dam is able to hold back large volumes of water thanks simply to its size. Gravity holds the dam to the ground and prevents water pushing it away. An Australian example is WARRAGAMBA DAM in New South Wales.
ARcH DAMAs the name suggests, these dams are curved against the upstream side of the dam, therefore transferring pressure from the water to either side of the dam wall. They are thinner than a gravity dam. Arch dams are suitable in a relatively narrow valley or canyon that offers strong, natural side walls. An Australian example is GoRDon DAM in Tasmania.
eMBAnkMenT DAMMade from compacted earth, embankment dams rely on their weight to hold water back. Appearing much like a bank or a hill, embankment dams are made from soil, sand, clay and/or rock, compacted into a mound. The process creates a semi-pervious waterproof covering and an impervious core, ensuring seepage erosion does not become an issue. An Australian example is DARTMoUTH DAM in Victoria.
BARRAGe DAMOften employed to control tidal waters, a barrage dam usually consists of a series of low gates that control the amount of water passing through, or block seawater from fresh water in lower reaches of rivers. An Australian example is GoolWA BARRAGes in South Australia. (Image copyright MDBA. Image creator is Arthur Mostead.)
Above: The main Itaipu dam is a gravity dam.
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ITAIPU DAM
Jinping-i DamCHINA
305 mConcrete arch dam
Planning for the Jinping-I Dam actually began in the 1960s, but construction occurred much later, lasting from 2005 to 2014. The dam acts as a hydropower station on the Yalong River, and is capable of producing 16 to 18 TW-h annually.
nurek DamTAJIkISTAN
300 mEmbankment dam
Another hydro-electric station, the Nurek Dam was constructed by the Soviet Union from 1961 to 1980. While it is an embankment dam, usually filled with earth or rock, this one has a unique central core of cement.
Xiaowan Dam CHINA
292 mConcrete arch dam
On the Lancang River in Yunnan Province, the Xiaowan Dam is the third largest hydroelectric station in China. It was constructed between 2002 and 2010 at a cost of US$3.9 billion.
XiluoDu DamCHINA
285.5 mConcrete arch dam
Completed in 2013 at a cost of US$6.2 billion, the Xiluodu Dam crosses the Jinsha River and its power station boasts an installed capacity of 13,860 MW from 18 turbine generators.
seven aerial cables pumped concrete at a
prodigious rate. on 14 november, 1978, the builders
poured 720 cubic metres of concrete into the base of
the gravity dam, which was a new south american
record, according to itaipu Binacional. this was the
equivalent of a ten-storey building every hour, or
24 ten-storey buildings in one day. and this project
would use a lot of concrete – 12.7 million cubic
metres, to be precise.
over 20,000 trucks and over 6500 railway cars
were used to haul the raw materials to the site.
every month from 1978 to 1981, up to 5000 people
were hired. at one point, 40,000 staff were clocking
in every day on the site and in support offices.
tragically, by the end of the project, which cost
us$17.4 billion, 149 workers would lose their lives
building the 7.9-km long dam.
When construction ended in october 1982,
the lake, covering 135,000 ha, took just 14 days to
fill, thanks in part to torrential rain in the region
and upstream. in mid 1984, it was time for the
hydroelectric power plant to do its thing when
the first of 20 generating units was switched on.
By 1997, 26% of Brazil’s electricity demand was
supplied by itaipu. in 2000, the dam generated
93.4 billion kWh. today, the dam provides 17% of
energy consumed in Brazil and 75% of energy
consumed in Paraguay.
Today the dam provides 75% of energy consumed in Paraguay.
Above: a tour of the hydroelectric plant.Right: a stoplog being moved.
Above:Switzerland’s Grande Dixence Dam.
granDe DiXence DamSWITzeRLAND
285 mConcrete gravity dam
On the Dixence River in Switzerland’s Valais region, the Grand Dixence Dam is the world’s tallest gravity dam. It was completed in 1964, and its four power stations produce around 2000 GWh annually.
ITAIPU DAM
energy is provided by 20 generator units, each
34 m apart and comprising scroll casing, turbine,
generator, excitation system and speed governor.
energy is delivered via three substations inside
itaipu (two gas-isolated substations, one operating
at 50 Hz and the other at 60 Hz, and a conventional
50 Hz substation) to external substations on each
country’s side of the dam. it is then transmitted to
consumption centres.
Just as important as the dam’s technical success
is the effect it has had on community education.
itaipu’s Cultivating good Water program was
recognised by the un for the way it engaged
families, communities, municipalities and
businesses around the vitality of a high-quality and
unpolluted water source.
“the work was not complete until itaipu
assumed an expanded role, whose challenge is
to act strategically in territorial development and
environmental care,” el Khouri says. “global and local
recognition is an important indication that itaipu is
overlapping the challenges the responsibility that a
project of this size requires.”
Open spillway at Itaipu Binacional.
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