Itaipu Dam
Binational Brazil Paraguay Hydroelectric Dam On The Paraná River, Producing Since 1984; One Of The Largest Hydroelectric Plants In The World · Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná
Itaipu is the enormous hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River where Brazil meets Paraguay, a few kilometres upstream from Foz do Iguaçu, and one of the largest hydroelectric plants in the world. It is owned jointly by the two countries, began producing power in 1984, and has at times set world records for annual electricity generation; it supplies a large share of Paraguay's power and a significant share of Brazil's. The concrete wall is almost eight kilometres long including its dykes and the main dam is as tall as a sixty-storey building. Most people visit because they are already in Foz do Iguaçu for the falls, and the dam is an easy half-day. The standard panoramic tour goes by bus across the top of the dam and to viewpoints; a longer special circuit goes inside to the turbine hall and control room, and on some evenings the dam is lit up in a light show. When the spillway is open, the flood of water down its chute is a spectacle of its own. The site also has an ecomuseum and a wildlife refuge.
Avenida Tancredo Neves 6702, Foz do Iguaçu, PR, Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil
Visits are only possible on guided tours that leave the visitor centre on the Brazilian side at set departure times through the day, every day. The panoramic bus tour has frequent departures; the special circuit inside the dam has far fewer, sells out in peak season, carries a minimum age and requires an original identity document or passport for every visitor, with photocopies and phone photos often refused. Closed shoes and non-revealing clothing are required on the special circuit, and people turning up in flip-flops are turned away. The illuminated dam show runs only on certain evenings, not nightly. The ecomuseum and the Bela Vista refuge have their own shorter hours and may close one day a week. Book online ahead for school holidays and long weekends, and confirm all times before going.