Geeking am ITAIPU DAM

Geeking am ITAIPU DAM

Peter thought I was joking when I suggested booking the special extended tour of the ITAIPU dam. The mega structure, which is geographically and politically divided between Brazil and Paraguay, is one of the world's largest hydropower projects. With 18 huge generators of turbine and a reservoir that extends over 160 km (100 miles), the Itaipu dam creates 90 million megawatt hours of energy every year. To get this into connection, Brazil would have to burn 536,000 barrels of oil a day to gain the corresponding energy from thermoelectric systems.

Of course I wanted to know more.

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

The special tour of the ITAIPU dam gives visitors an insight into the inner sections of the dam. In contrast to the cheaper and more general panoramic tour, the special tour houses a small number of customers and therefore offers a more intimate look behind the scenes.

Our visit began on board a comfortable bus in which we met our three -language tour guide Helena (who spoke English, Spanish and Portuguese). Helena gave an introductory lecture and distributed water bottles, hair networks and helmets to our seven -member group.

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Our first stop was on the central Belvedere and at the Poty’s Panel Station. From here we had a panoramic view of the dam and the overflow channel, which serves to drain excess water in rainy months.

Unfortunately, the overflow channel did not flow there during our time, but the gigantic concrete construction was still impressive.

alt = “”> Creative Commons The overflow channel is active from December to February, depending on the precipitation

When we marveled at the scales, Helena Peter and me asked whether we are engineers like our fellow visitors. "No, just nerds," I told her. She laughed. "No, but seriously?" "Um, seriously - only nerds." "Uh." She stopped laughing.

We continued to the concrete collection station, which is on the top of the dam, where the water inlass gate of the power plant units are located. We enjoyed a privileged view of the reservoir of the facility and the River Paraná, which takes up his course after he has passed the dam.

Here we learned that the Itaipu dam produces 17 % of the Brazilian and 75 % of the Paraguayan current. Interestingly, Paraguay does not use its 50 percent share of energy as a much smaller country and sells part of it back to Brazil.

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Our next stop led us into the dam to the Cathedral Station, which received its name because of the hollow architecture that resembled that of a cathedral. On our way there we stopped at a number of huge channels that transport up to 700,000 liters of water per second (or half of the flow of the Iguazu waterfalls in every channel).

Inside we stopped at a kilometer long corridor to look at the overwhelming size of the system.

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We then went 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 switching boards reminded of a space film. As a graduate of computer science with more than just a temporary interest in Star Trek, this was the Geek sky.

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All technicians at the Itaipu dam are bilingual in Spanish and Portuguese, and attempts are made to employ a balanced mix of paraguayers and Brazilians. A yellow strip that runs across the floor and represents the border between the two countries reminds us of the collaborative character of the project.

we stopped to observe some of the great, powerful devices used to operate the system, and then went to the outflow channel station, where water flows back into the paraná river.

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Our last stop was the Gallery station, where we watched workers on bicycles that drove over the one kilometer -long gallery. Once again we were amazed at the enormous size of the ITAIPU dam.

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The building is so great that it was appointed one of the seven modern wonders of the world in 1994. The title was of course not easy. With construction costs of $ 19.6 billion, the dam is one of the most expensive objects ever built. It changed the course of the seventh largest river in the world, moved 50 million tons of earth and rock, expired 10,000 families and flooded the Guaíra cases, the largest waterfall in the world.

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

If the Iguazu waterfalls have humiliated us from the power of nature, the Itaipu dam has aroused pride in human technology in us.

Of course the Special Tour is not for everyone, but if you are interested in technology, science or engineering, you should not miss the Itaipu dam.

itaipu dam: The essentials

Was: 2.5-hour special tour through the Itaipu dam. The tour comprises seven stops in various areas of the dam, including the one kilometer long corridor and the central command room.

WO: On the border between Brazil and Paraguay, 12 km from the city center of Foz Do Iguaçu in Brazil and 25 km from Ciudad del Este in Paraguay.

When: Watch the overflow channel in action between December and February when the steel locks are open during the rainy season. The opening of the overflow channel does not follow any given schedule, since it is directly connected to the water level of the lake, 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.

like: Tickets for the Special Tour cost 25 USD and have to be booked in advance. The shorter panoramic tour costs $ 12; Free when visiting the paraguayan side.

For a visit as part of an organized tour, book via IGUASSUFALLSTOUR.com or send an email to iguassufallstour@gmail.com.

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

If you travel by public transport from Foz Do Iguaçu, take a Consorcio Sorriso bus from the "Conjunto C Norte" or "Conjunto C Sul" lines, which runs at the central terminal of FOZ Do Iguaçu. The journey takes about 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 climb into a bus with the Hernandarias inscription. Get out where the road is shared in the direction of Hernandarias and Itaipu (the conductor can help). The ITAIPU dam is three minutes' walk away from the bus stop, but be warned, there are no pedestrian crossings. The trip takes about 50 minutes and the fare is 5,000 PYG (USD 0.85).

Note: The minimum age for The Special Tour is 14 years. Flip-flops, shoes with high heels, shorts and skirts are not permitted during the visit. Sandals are only allowed if they are close to sales, without sales and with rubber soles.

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