Trips to Paraguay

The hydroelectric dam of Yacyretá-Apipé (of the guaraní Jasy retá, “land of the moon”) is a constructed hydroelectric power station on the jumps of Yacyretá-Apipé in the Parana river, between the Argentine province of Currents and the Paraguayan department of Missions.

When it was constructed: The Prey of Yacyretá and the hydroelectric project were conceived in the middle of the 70' to generate electricity at low cost and to diminish the risks of the swellings in the neighboring areas like part of a program to contribute to the economic and social development of Argentina and Paraguay. The construction began in 1983 and Yacyretá began to store water in 1992.

Characteristics: The equipment of the power station has a total installed power of 3,200 MW, existing an extension project that would allow to almost increase this capacity to the double. Through each turbine they can pass 2,630 million liters of water per hour, that is that, through the 20 turbines of Yacyretá can pass per hour the equivalent to the consumption of potable water of 13 days of the city of Asuncio'n or 2 days of the city of Buenos Aires. The energy that can be produced annually is of 19,000 Gwh equivalent to 65% of the electrical generation of Paraguay and Argentina.

A sluice allows the circulation of boats of up to 12 feet (3.60 ms). An elevation system - designed after ecological studies demonstrated that the presence of the dock would inhibit the reproduction of the migratory species of Parana, especially gilded and the surubí - allows the specimens that above swim river to save the 25 meters of difference to lay eggs in the Parana Stop.

The house of machines has 70 measured ms of height from the foundations to the ceiling. The waterfall half has of great volume of 8,000 ms ³ /s that happen through the turbines and produce energy in continuous form. In order to compare dimensions, the Cataracts of the Iguazú have an of great volume one of 1,750 half m3/s (the fifth part of the volume turbinado by Yacyretá).

Critics: In spite of its benefits, the project of the dam was constant object of critics during its planning and construction, as much by the ecological consequences that it produced - among them the flooding of bioma practically unique, that lead to the extinction of numerous endemic species like by the management of the emprendimiento, whose original budget exceeded several times until reaching the 11,500 million dollars.