Itaipu Dam
이타이푸 댐
The Itaipu Dam is a huge hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River, right on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. It is about 196 meters high, and it is one of the biggest power plants ever built: in 2020 it produced the second-largest amount of electricity of any hydroelectric plant in the world, behind only China's Three Gorges Dam.
See it on the 3D globe →At a glance
- Country
- Paraguay
- Location
- Brazil–Paraguay border
- Built
- 1984
- Height
- 196 m
- Type
- Infrastructure
Quick answers
Where is Itaipu Dam?
Itaipu Dam is in Brazil–Paraguay border.
When was Itaipu Dam built?
Itaipu Dam was built in 1984.
How tall is Itaipu Dam?
Itaipu Dam is about 196 m tall.
A giant hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River, among the world's top producers of electricity.
The two countries share its power. Its 20 generators, each rated at 700 megawatts, add up to 14 gigawatts, and the electricity is sent hundreds of kilometers to big cities. Its name comes from the Guarani language and refers to a "sounding stone" on an island that was near the building site.
How it was built
Brazil and Paraguay signed the Itaipu Treaty in 1973, and construction ran from 1970s into 1984. It was a huge project: about 3,000 people still worked at the plant in 2016, and building it meant filling a giant reservoir. The work moved about 10,000 families from their homes and covered the Guaíra Falls, once one of the largest waterfalls in the world.
How does it share power?
Half the generators produce 50 Hz electricity for Paraguay and half produce 60 Hz for Brazil, because the two countries use different standards. Paraguay does not need all of its share, so most of it flows straight to Brazil through long high-voltage lines about 800 kilometers long. In 2009 a storm damaged those lines and the whole of Paraguay lost power for 15 minutes.
Fun facts
- It supplies most of Paraguay's electricity.
- Ten of its generators run at 50 Hz and ten at 60 Hz, so it serves two different electric systems.
- Its reservoir covered the Guaíra Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the world.
- In 2009 a storm cut its transmission lines and blacked out all of Paraguay for 15 minutes.
On the globe
The model shows the long concrete dam wall across the river with its spillways; look for the wall spanning the border.
Quiz time
Which is taller: Itaipu Dam or Iguazu Falls?
Show the answer
Itaipu Dam. (196 m vs 82 m) Iguazu Falls →
Nearby on the globe
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14