Lying on the divide between the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, the Itá Hydroelectric Plant (UHIT) is celebrating 20 years of operations. A pioneer in the harnessing of water power in the Uruguay River basin, the plant has already generated  139,283GWh and paid out more than R$ 500 million in financial compensation for the use of water resources, an amount deemed as historic.

Itá innovated in the method used to construct the main dam – rock filled and concrete faced, a technique known worldwide as the “Itá Method”. The plant was also a pioneer in Brazil with the First Master Plan. And now in September, the revision of this Plan  has been approved, and now renamed the Environmental Plan for Conservation and Use of Riparian Margins of the Artificial Reservoirs (PACUERA). In this way, the document was adjusted to the new local reality of encouraging tourism combined with environmental preservation.

To celebrate the occasion, a series of programs are being organized, among which a Cultural Contest, a sustainable gymkhana among employees and the holding of a LIVE arranged for November 20 at the Plant and to be transmitted via the Itá Consortium’s You Tube  channel.

“We are part of a Plant of which we are very proud for its performance, socio-environmental responsibility, fostering regional development, for the new business opportunities, creation of jobs and incomes, and above all, for the improvement in the quality of life of all those that in some way relate to the Itá HPP”, says Diego Collet, ENGIE Brasil Energia’s Regional Manager for the Uruguay River.

Cultural contest

The Cultural Contest with the theme: “Itá Hydroelectric Plant 20 years – Show your talent”, is an opportunity to showcase talent in the areas of music, design/illustration and words (poetry/story telling). As from November, the 10 finalists will face a popular vote and the names of the three finalists will be announced during the LIVE on November 20. In total, nine winners will be awarded, three in each category. The award is divided into: First place: 1 Samsung Book E30 Intel Core i3 4GB 1TB – 15.6” Full HD Notebook; second place: 1 Samsung A31 Galaxy A31 128GB Branco 4G – Octa-Core 4GB RAM Tela 6.4” quadruple camera Smartphone; and the third place finalists will receive as their award 1 JBL FLIP 5  waterproof Bluetooth Speaker  Portable Wireless.

LIVE 20 years

With transmission  via YouTube and shared in Itá Consortium’s social media, the event is to take place on November 20 from 5:00 p.m.. A stage will be set up in front of the Itá Plant’s machine house and will have the online participation of cultural attractions, testimonies, declarations from guests and the announcement of the winners of the Cultural Contest as well as the three finalists of the employees’ sustainable gymkhana.

20 years of history

A landmark in the generation of hydroelectricity in the South region of the country, Itá  was the first public/private hydroelectric power plant and has a fundamental importance for the National Interconnected System given its strategic position – the Plant being at the head of the downstream re-composition corridor for this region.

With an installed capacity of 1,450MW distributed among 5 generator units, it is one of the largest plants in installed capacity in the South  and the largest in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is able to meet 25% of the demand from Rio Grande do Sul and 50% from Santa Catarina.

An innovator in population resettlement models and in the reconstruction of urban and rural infrastructure, over the past 20 years, the plant has received various awards and recognition  for its socio-environmental projects and initiatives. With the aim of legal compliance and mainly conservation and preservation  of the biodiversity in the Atlantic Rainforest  Biome, two environmental parks have been opened –  Fritz Plaumann Park in Concórdia/SC and the Teixeira Soares Park in Marcelino Ramos/RS.

During the period, several studies and research have been carried out on indigenous fish in the upper reaches of the Uruguay River in addition to contributing to the enrichment and conservation of the species through the release of more than a million of fish fry.  More than 170  environmental educators have graduated in seven editions of the Environmental Educators Formation Program (PFEA). Initiatives taken under the umbrella of the environmental education programs have positively impacted more than 200 thousand children. And again, about 3 million native seedlings of 111 species were produced from matrices and georeferenced along the margins of the reservoir.

The Plant’s installations were opened to welcome more than 220 thousand visitors, transmitting  to them a little knowledge on the daily routine of a major hydroelectric power plant. The Consortium has also invested in the installation of the Alto Bela Vista  Culture Center in partnership with the Concórdia Culture Center.

Innumerous social and educational projects  were supported for children and adolescents as well as for  adults, reinforcing public policies in the area surrounding the Plant.