In October of 1982, a Brazilian and Paraguayan company known as Itaipu Binacional closed the side canals of the Itaipu hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River in Brazil, launching an ambitious project to harness more hydropower energy than had ever been possible (Blanc, 2019; Megastructures-Itaipu Dam). The Itaipu hydroelectric dam provides Brazil with 10% of its total energy demand and Paraguay with 88.5% of its total energy demand. From 1984 until 2012, the Itaipu hydroelectric dam was the greatest energy-producing hydroelectric dam until the inauguration of the Three Gorges Dam in China (McCully, 1996). While the Itaipu hydroelectric dam offers incredible environmental benefits, providing energy for the southwest region of Brazil and the entirety of Paraguay, the subsequent flooding from the dam displaced local farmers, landless peasants, and 38 Avá-Guaraní Indigenous communities (Blanc, 2019). This human and environmental loss cannot be overstated, and it is a violation of individual property, collective rights, and unique cultural ways of life. The tragedy is only amplified when contextualized in a history of genocide and displacement against Indigenous groups in Brazil. The Avá-Guaraní people have a close connection with the land. When contemplating the costs and benefits of hydropower, it is paramount to consider a myriad of environmental, economical, social, and political factors. The saga of the Itaipu hydroelectric dam certainly demonstrates how these factors are inextricably linked. This research endeavors to establish a general cost-benefit methodology for the environmental factors that is legible to policymakers, stakeholders, and hydroelectric technicians alike.
Coley Rose Martin, UG '23:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-martin-687398214/ 
