A consortium of GE Renewable Energy Hydro and Grid Solutions, along with Paraguayan firms Tecnoedil and CIE, has won a $649-million, 14-year contract for upgrades to the Itaipu hydropower plant in South America, the world's second largest, following the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China.
Located on the Paraná River on the Brazil-Paraguay border, Itaipu went on line in 1984 and stands more than 650 ft tall and is nearly 5 miles long. It has 20 generating units with a combined 14-GW capacity, according to Itaipu Binacional, the plant operator. The plant provides about 10.8% of energy consumed in Brazil and 88.5% in Paraguay.