Before entering the gates, we registered at the front desk and were ushered into a large auditorium where a thirty-minute video walked through the history of the dam, it’s creation, it’s abilities and the effect hydroelectricity has had on both Brazil and Paraguay. The video was (of course) in rapid-fire Spanish, so many of the facts were lost as I stumbled to translate the handful of words that I caught. I did catch the fact that nearly 89% of the energy used in Paraguay comes from Ytaipu and there was enough steel used in it’s construction to build close to 17 Eiffel Towers!
After the video we boarded another bus for a tour of the facilities. The first stop was at a section of the dam that regulates the amount of water forced through the turbines. You see, there’s a massive reservoir behind the turbines and when it is too full, a number of gates are opened to release pressure. There are ten gates that could possibly be opened and on the day we visited, six were fully raised, creating a massive waterslide and striking waterfall.
We stopped for pictures, and then drove UNDER the dam (and countless tons of rushing water) toward the turbines. There was nothing notable about their appearance, aside from their massive size. There are twenty turbines in all, ten belonging to Paraguay and ten to Brazil.
The second stop was beyond the turbines, looking back the open gates and the water charging down the cement slide. Another Kodak moment.
The final leg of the tour took us along the top of where the turbines were housed, with the massive tubes below our feet and the lake to the right.
Bailey enjoyed the tour with Tia Vero and I was impressed with the whole hydroelectric operation. The only thing that would have made the trip better was if we were allowed to walk around in the power plant. And English subtitles in the video would have helped, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment