Itaipu Dam - Paraná, Brazil
Posted by: 
denben
S 25° 24.822 W 054° 35.235
21J E 742693 N 7187048
Itaipu Binacional Dam: a modern World Wonder
Waymark Code: WMBP85
Location: Paraná, Brazil
Date Posted: 06/08/2011
Views: 11
The Itaipu Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. Built from 1971 to 1984, in a joint development, Itaipú represents the efforts and accomplishments of two neighboring countries, Brazil and Paraguay.
The dam is the largest operating hydroelectric facility in terms of annual generating capacity. In 2008, the power plant generated 94,684 GWh of electricity, a word record for hydroelectricity generation.
The Itaipu dam is 7,919 meters long with a maximum height of 196 meters, equivalent to a 65-story building. It consumed 12.3 million cubic meters of concrete, while the iron and steel employed would permit the construction of 380 Eiffel Towers. The cost of constructing Itaipu makes it one of the most expensive objects ever built.
In 1994 the American Society of Civil Engineers elected the Itaipu Dam as one of the seven modern Wonders of the World. The 6 other Wonders are the Empire State Building, the Channel Tunnel, the CN Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Netherlands North Sea Protection Works and the Panama Canal.
Meeting Itaipú is discovering a story where more than 40 thousand people worked per day and night in order to dominate the rough water of the Paraná river.
Source: Wikipedia
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