- Argentina’s largest hydroelectric plant operates at 50% capacity
- River Parana experiencing worst drought 77 years
Argentina’s Yacyreta Hydroelectric plant is currently working at 50% capacity. The plant is currently operating 12 of its 20 turbines due to the historical drought affecting River Parana. The drought is said to be the worst in 77 years. As a result, the plant is currently generating below 1,100MW, barely a third of its 3,200MW generating capacity.
”The situation is affecting the generation and the amount of energy that we can deliver to the systems of Argentina and Paraguay, and therefore also to the billing system,” Yacyretá Binational Entity (EBY) Executive Director, Ignacio Barrios Arrechea explained.
River Parana current flow records a daily flow of barely 6,000 cubic meters per second (m3/s) with no hope in sight for an improvement in river flow.
On Sunday, Argentina’ President Alberto Fernández declared a ‘State of Hydric Emergency’ (water emergency) for 180 days in the region of the Paraná river basin.