Geeking at Itaipu Dam

Geeking at Itaipu Dam

Peter thought I was joking when I suggested booking the special extended tour of Itaipu Dam. The megastructure, geographically and politically divided between Brazil and Paraguay, is one of the largest hydroelectric projects in the world. With 18 massive turbine generators and a reservoir that stretches over 160 km (100 miles), the Itaipu Dam generates 90 million megawatt hours of energy each year. To put this into context, Brazil would need to burn 536,000 barrels of oil per day to generate the equivalent energy from thermoelectric plants.

Of course I wanted to know more.

When I raved about Itaipu, Peter quickly realized I wasn't joking. Despite reservations, he admitted that if he could take me camping in Colombia and trekking in Cotopaxi, I could take him on a 2.5-hour tour of a dam (#geekrule).

The Itaipu Dam Special Tour gives visitors a glimpse into the inner sections of the dam. Unlike the cheaper and more general panoramic tour, the specialty tour hosts a small number of clients and therefore offers a more intimate behind-the-scenes look.

Our visit began aboard a comfortable bus where we met our trilingual tour guide Helena (who spoke English, Spanish and Portuguese). Helena gave an introductory lecture and handed out water bottles, hairnets and helmets to our group of seven.

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Our first stop was at the Central Belvedere and Poty’s Panel Station. From here we had a panoramic view of the dam and the spillway, which is used to drain excess water in rainy months.

Unfortunately, the spillway wasn't flowing during our time there, but the gigantic concrete structure was still impressive.

old=““>Creative CommonsThe spillway is active from December to February, depending on rainfall

As we marveled at the scales, Helena asked Peter and me if we were engineers like our fellow visitors. “No, just nerds,” I told her. She laughed. “No, but seriously?” “Um, seriously – just nerds.” "Uh." She stopped laughing.

We continued to the concrete dam station located on top of the dam where the water intake gates of the power generation units are located. We enjoyed a privileged view of the complex's reservoir and the Paraná River, which resumes its course after passing the dam.

Here we learned that the Itaipu Dam produces 17% of Brazil's electricity and 75% of Paraguay's electricity. Interestingly, Paraguay, as a much smaller country, does not consume its 50 percent share of energy and sells some of it back to Brazil.

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Our next stop took us into the causeway to Cathedral Station, so named because of the hollow architecture resembling that of a cathedral. On our way there, we stopped at a series of huge canals that carry up to 700,000 liters of water per second (or half the flow of Iguazu Falls in each canal).

Inside, we stopped at a one-kilometer-long corridor to take in the overwhelming size of the facility.

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We then moved on to the central command room. Here we marveled at the technicians who control the operation of the power plant. The room full of computers and electronic panels was reminiscent of a space movie. As a computer science graduate with more than a passing interest in Star Trek, this was geek heaven.

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All technicians at Itaipu Dam are bilingual in Spanish and Portuguese, and attempts are made to employ a balanced mix of Paraguayans and Brazilians. We are reminded of the collaborative nature of the project by a yellow stripe that runs across the floor and represents the border between the two countries.

We stopped to observe some of the magnificent, powerful equipment used to operate the plant and then walked to the Outflow Channel Station, where water flows from the turbines back into the Paraná River.

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Our final stop was the Gallery Station, where we watched workers on bicycles traveling across the one kilometer long gallery. Once again we were amazed at the enormous size of the Itaipu Dam.

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The structure is so magnificent that in 1994 it was named one of the seven modern wonders of the world. Of course, the title wasn't easy. With a construction cost of $19.6 billion, the dam is one of the most expensive objects ever built. It changed the course of the world's seventh-largest river, moving 50 million tons of earth and rock, displacing 10,000 families and flooding Guaíra Falls, the world's largest waterfall by volume.

The result is the world's largest producer of renewable clean energy, proof that progress is not always painless.

If Iguazu Falls humbled us by the power of nature, then Itaipu Dam instilled in us a pride in human technology.

Of course, the Special Tour isn't for everyone, but if you're interested in technology, science or engineering, you shouldn't miss Itaipu Dam.

ITAIPU DAM: The essentials

What: 2.5-hour special tour of Itaipu Dam. The tour includes seven stops in different areas of the dam, including the one-kilometer corridor and the central command room.

Where: On the border of Brazil and Paraguay, 12 km from downtown Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil and 25 km from Ciudad del Este in Paraguay.

When: Watch the spillway in action between the months of December and February, when the steel floodgates are open during the rainy season. The opening of the spillway does not follow a set schedule as it is directly linked to the lake water level, so check this first.

English-language tours are available at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. – book in advance.

How: Tickets for The Special Tour are $25 and must be booked in advance. The shorter panoramic tour costs $12; free when visiting from the Paraguayan side.

To visit as part of an organized tour, book through iguassufallstour.com or email iguassufallstour@gmail.com.

Alternatively, you can book tickets directly by email at reservas@turismoitaipu.com.br and take a taxi to the visitor center (12 km from downtown Foz do Iguaçu, 25 km from Ciudad del Este; about 5 USD).

If you are traveling from Foz do Iguaçu by public transport, take a Consorcio Sorriso bus on the “Conjunto C Norte” or “Conjunto C Sul” lines that depart from the Foz do Iguaçu central terminal. The journey takes approximately 30 minutes and the fare is 2.40 BRL (0.6 USD).

To reach the Itaipu Dam from Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, go to the municipal bus station and board a bus marked Hernandarias. Get off where the road splits towards Hernandarias and Itaipu (the conductor can help). The Itaipu Dam is a three-minute walk from the bus stop, but be warned, there are no pedestrian crossings. The journey takes approximately 50 minutes and the fare is 5,000 PYG (0.85 USD).

Note: The minimum age for The Special Tour is 14 years. Flip-flops, high-heeled shoes, shorts and skirts are not permitted during the visit. Sandals are only permitted if they are tight-fitting at the heel, have no heel and have rubber soles.

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