Itaipu Binacional returned to take the global lead in annual production of electricity in 2015, even in the drought scenario faced by much of Brazil for the second consecutive year, especially in the first half. Production was 1.6% higher than the previous year and 2.5% higher than that recorded by the Three Gorges dam in China, for whom the binational lost the first place in 2014, because of the water crisis.

Although production has been below the average of recent years (about 90 million MWh), it was higher than the amount provided for in plant design: 75 million MWh. The supply to the Brazilian market was 1.9% higher than the previous year, thus confirming the plant’s strategic and fundamental role in energy security and development of the country.

Other features that make Itaipu plant essential to the Brazilian electrical system are: the ability to, in a few minutes after requested to provide an amount of power of thousands of MW, both to meet peak consumption and to replace other energy sources that suddenly stop working; and the great capacity of the plant to contribute to voltage control within the proper range, which ensures technical security of energy flow to consumers.

The percentage of time during which the generating units remained in operation or available for operation in 2015 was 96.49%, exceeding the target set as “equal or greater than 94%.”

This means that 96.49% of turbinable water was actually used for the production of electricity. The goal for the generation availability index for 2016 is equal to or greater than 94%.

The plant’s generation project for 2016 is positive. It is expected to exceed 90 million MWh, which did not occur in the last two years, benefited from the effects of El Niño, a phenomenon that changes the hydrological regime. With more rains in southern Brazil, the return of rains in the Southeast and Midwest and the gradual filling of reservoirs, Brazil will increasingly use hydropower plants, with lower production costs, while acquiring condition to progressively turn off the thermal plant and provide Brazilian consumers with cheaper and less polluting energy.

There are strong indications that it will achieve an unprecedented mark on the plant’s operating history: the production of 100 million MWh/year. At the end of the first half of 2016, in an unprecedented manner, the plant’s production had already exceeded 51 million MWh, surpassing the production in the same period in 2013, when Itaipu generated 98.6 million MWh and hit its own record. The achievement of the goal, however, depends on other factors outside the plant’s operation, such as the confluence of Paraná River, the availability of the transmission systems and the consumption by both countries.

In order to produce the same amount of electricity generated by Itaipu in 2015, it would take about 44 million cub meters of gas/day or 510,000 barrels of oil/day (The Brazilian oil production in 2015 was 2,128 million barrels/day). The avoided CO₂ emissions were of 77 million tons, if this energy had been generated by coal and 34 million tons of gas.

• 700 MW is the nominal capacity of each generating unit, able to supply 2,5 million households with average monthly consumption of 200 kWh. The 20 generating units total 14,000 MW and together they have the capacity to supply 50 million homes.
• 89,215,404 MWh was the power produced by Itaipu in 2015, would be enough to supply the consumption of the entire Northeastern Brazil for one year and one month; the Southeast for four months; and the South for a year. It also would meet the entire demand of a city like São Paulo for three years; Curitiba for 18 years; and Foz do Iguaçu for 155 years and eight months.
• 2.3 billion MWh produced in the first 30 years of operation would be enough to supply the North consumption for 71 years and five months; the Southeast for nine years and six months; and the South for 27 years and three months. All the demand of a city like São Paulo would be met for 78 years and five months; Curitiba for 467 years; and Foz do Iguaçu for 4,036 years and one month.
• 29 billion m³ of water is stored in the Itaipu reservoir. It is the seventh largest in the country and has the best water utilization rate: each 0.1 km² of flooded area can generate 1 MW.
• 54 hydropower plants generate energy with the waters that reach in Itaipu. These waters come from different rivers from four river basins: Paranaíba, Grande, Tietê and Paranapanema.