---
title: Itaipu Hydroelectric Complex
type: technology
url: "https://www.envisioning.com/research/grid/brazil__itaipu-hydroelectric-complex"
hub: grid
summary: "The single power plant that has produced more energy than any other in history — 3 million+ GWh since 1984, supplying 10% of Brazil's and 90% of Paraguay's electricity"
---

# Itaipu Hydroelectric Complex

The single power plant that has produced more energy than any other in history — 3 million+ GWh since 1984, supplying 10% of Brazil's and 90% of Paraguay's electricity
- Technology Readiness Level: 9/9
- Impact: 3/5
- Investment: 1/5
Itaipu is a bilateral Brazil-Paraguay dam on the Paraná River that set the world record for annual energy generation in 2016 with 103.1 million MWh. Its 14GW installed capacity makes it the second-largest hydroelectric plant after China's Three Gorges, but Itaipu has produced more cumulative energy due to longer operation.

The dam represents a specific engineering achievement: building one of the world's largest concrete structures in a tropical river with extreme seasonal flow variation. The bilateral governance model — shared 50/50 between two countries — is unique in global energy infrastructure.

Itaipu is part of a broader story: Brazil generates roughly 65% of its electricity from hydropower, giving it one of the cleanest electricity grids among major economies. This clean grid is what makes green hydrogen, electric vehicles, and industrial electrification genuinely low-carbon in Brazil — unlike countries where 'clean' technologies still run on coal-fired electricity.

---
Source: Envisioning — Technology Research Institute (https://www.envisioning.com/research/grid/brazil__itaipu-hydroelectric-complex)