Brazil and Paraguay's presidents inaugurate transmission line from Binational Itaipu Dam

Criado em 30/10/13 13h36 e atualizado em 30/10/13 13h40
Por Mariana Tokarnia Fonte:Agência Brasil

Brasília – Brazil's president Dilma Rousseff and Paraguay's president Horacio Cartes inaugurated on Tuesday (October 29) the transmission line that will supply Paraguay with energy from the Binational Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam. The ceremony was held in the town of Hernandarias, on the Paraguayan border with the Brazilian town of Foz do Iguaçu.

The new 500-kilovolt line is approximately 350km long and crosses Paraguay from east to west, connecting the Itaipu sub-station, on the border between both countries, to Asuncion, Paraguay's capital.

In her speech, Rousseff stressed the role played by Mercosur in redressing inequalities among member countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela). “This proves that Mercosur is strong and is not limited to trade, but, rather, it promotes development by trying to find ways of redressing inequalities among the countries in the region,” she said. According to the Brazilian president, the line is expected to cover 25% of Paraguay's demand and will contribute to the development of the country, making new investments possible.

The work was sponsored by Mercosur's Structural Convergence Fund (“FOCEM”), with 15% of the investment made by Paraguay. The total cost amounted to $320 million.

During the 2013 Paraguay-Brazil Expo, which took place last week, Paraguay's director-general, James Spalding, underscored the importance of incentives in this sector for the economy of the country. “The electric energy we sell abroad is Paraguay's second biggest export product. Last year, with the drought we had, [which affected our] soy, the exportation of electric energy became our number one item,” he said.

In Spalding's view, Paraguay is the country with the largest per capita energy production in the world. Binational Itaipu accounts for 8% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product). On the same occasion, Brazil's director-general Jorge Samek, said that Paraguay is expected to grow more than 13% this year.

Edited by Aécio Amado / Nira Foster
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira

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