Members of the Special Binational Hydroelectric Commission of the Mercosur Parliament began a technical visit to the Itaipu dam, right bank, located in Hernandarias, at 9:00 a.m.
The delegation was made up of the vice president of the Paraguayan delegation, Manuel Morínigo, the president of the Commission, Ricardo Canese and member Neri Olmedo.
Canese indicated that they carried out the visit in such a way as to gain first-hand knowledge of the operation of Itaipu, on issues related to the current Treaty and its level of compliance, the future revision of Annex C of Itaipu and the exercise of sovereignty.
In this sense, he pointed out that they observed the contracting of current power, the current rate, the use of water from the reservoir, which is binational, and in which Paraguay has 50% and that, in this last case of the reservoir, Brazil usually use energy without ever having paid. This represents “a great favor” to the neighboring country, but it is a “tremendously irregular” trade.
In turn, they also found out about the indigenous communities, which had been “brutally evicted” at the beginning of the construction of the binational hydroelectric plant, according to Canese, and if there are efforts to compensate them.
In relation to the agenda of activities, the parliamentarians planned to go first to the viewpoint of the landfill, then to the Cargo Dispatch Room (elevation 145) and the Central Command Room, as well as the Engine Room, turbine shaft area and the main dam (pressure pipe areas, level 144), to then go to level 40 (river bed) and the central viewpoint of the Right Bank.
