chapter - Atmospheric and Oceanic Science

8.3.3. Energy
a. Hydroelectric dependence
The main services and problems of water resource
Worldwide, the big hydroelectric dams provide 10% of the total generation of
electricity in 113 countries. They contribute to more than 20% of this generation in
91 countries and in more than 50% in 63 countries. Almost all the above mentioned
are developing countries or from the ex-Soviet Union.
Many of the countries dependent on the hydroelectricity are already experiencing
energetic shortage in periods of drought. The countries that have suffered
blackouts and energy rationing due to the droughts in the recent years, include
Albania, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, India,
Kenya, Peru, Sri Lanka, Tadzhikistan, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Regions of
Norway and USA have also experienced problems in the supply of energy due to
low levels of water in the dams.
In several of these countries that already highly depend on hydroelectricity, the
construction of new hydroelectric facilities is being planned, as in the case of the
countries of the La Plata basin. There is a need to satisfy the increasing demand and
in addition, the relation between installed power and maximum demand is currently
relatively small for a situation where most of the stock is hydraulic and therefore
capable of great variability due to climatic reasons. The power installed in the countries
of the La Plata basin in the year 2000 was reaching 97800 MW, of which 76%
was hydraulic power. On the other hand the installed power was only 1.34 times
higher than the maximum demand, mainly due to the weight of Brazil within the
countries of the basin, both in the installed power and in the maximum demand,
Table 8.3. This low relation puts in crisis the whole supply in cases of long droughts
and is one of the factors that make necessary the expansion of the installed power.
Table 8.3. Structure of the MERCOSUR markets. Offer and Demand of year 2000.
COUNTRY
Installed Power Maximum Demand
Hydro Thermal Total
(MW) (MW) (MW)
112
% Hydro MW
Ratio
InstP./ Max.
Dem.
Argentina 8.926 11.785 20.711 43% 13.754 1,51
Bolivia 336 629 965 35% 645 1,50
Brazil 56.262 9.929 66.191 85% 56.000 1,20
Paraguay 7.840 0 7.840 100% 1.120 7,00
Uruguay 1.534 563 2.097 73% 1.463 1,43
Total
Source: CIER Magazine N° 43
74.898 22.906 97.804 76% 72.982 1,34