Paraguay closed its last thermal power plant in December 2021 and mainly thanks to hydropower, is now the only country in the world with 100 per cent renewable electricity supply.

The 14,000 MW Itaipú hydropower plant, together with the 3,200 MW Yacyretá and 210 MW Acaray plants, supply the National Interconnected System to satisfy electricity demand.

Itaipú alone typically provides over 80% of the energy consumed in Paraguay. It is a binational hydropower plant owned jointly with the government of Brazil (Itaipú Binational). Acaray is owned by the state-owned generation and distribution company, ANDE, while Yacyretá is owned jointly with the government of Argentina (Yacyretá Binational Entity).
 
All three of Paraguay’s hydropower assets are undergoing developments as a means to increase power generation to meet the country’s requirements by 2030.

Itaipú is undergoing a modernisation project to increase the power plant’s asset life and boost electricity generation. The modernisation project will take at least 10 years with an investment of USD 500 million. The GE consortium was contracted for the early stages of the project to provide electrical equipment for the electrical modernisation of 24 overhead cranes.

Work continued on the expansion of the Yacyretá hydropower plant, which straddles the border of Argentina and Paraguay. The addition of three new turbines will increase the output of the plant by 10 per cent.

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This country profile is featured in the 2022 Hydropower Status Report. Download the report: hydropower.org/statusreport