Educational information
1. Energy: two binational dams and one utility
Most of the electricity used in Paraguay comes from two hydroelectric plants on the Paraná River, each shared with a neighbouring country. The power that reaches your home or warehouse is distributed by ANDE.
Itaipú, shared with Brazil
Itaipú Binacional was created under the Itaipú Treaty, signed in 1973, and has been generating since 1984. It has 20 generating units of 700 MW each, 14,000 MW in total. On its generation page, Itaipú states that it supplies 77.9% of the energy consumed in Paraguay and 6.7% of that consumed in Brazil.
Yacyretá, shared with Argentina
Entidad Binacional Yacyretá stems from the treaty signed on 3 December 1973. The plant sits on the Paraná, on the stretch that forms the border with Argentina, about 300 km south-east of Asunción, near Ayolas (Misiones). According to its technical data, it has 20 Kaplan turbines and 3,200 MW of installed capacity.
ANDE, the utility
The Administración Nacional de Electricidad is an autonomous state body governed by Law 966 of 1964. The law tasks it with generating, transmitting and distributing electricity in the country and selling it to consumers at approved tariffs.
Keep in mind: a country that generates plenty of power does not mean every neighbourhood or industrial park has the same connection capacity. That has to be checked site by site.
2. Access to the sea: the Paraguay-Paraná waterway
Paraguay is landlocked. To reach ocean ports by water, the route is the Paraguay and Paraná rivers.
The framework is the River Transport Agreement for the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway (Port of Cáceres–Port of Nueva Palmira), signed by Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Its Eighth Additional Protocol, approved in Paraguay by Law 6438/2019, made the agreement open-ended from 13 February 2020.
River levels vary by season and by year, and that affects navigation. If your business depends on shipping by river, talk to a customs broker and your logistics provider before committing to lead times.
3. International bridges
- Friendship Bridge (Puente de la Amistad), to Brazil, at the Ciudad del Este–Foz do Iguaçu crossing. Itaipú mentions it in its history: its opening created the prospect of exporting Paraguayan goods through Brazil.
- Integration Bridge (Puente de la Integración), the second bridge to Brazil over the Paraná, between Presidente Franco and Foz do Iguaçu. In a statement dated 31 August 2026, the Paraguay-Brazil Joint Commission described a phased opening: cars of border residents at set hours, empty trucks at night and international buses, but no customs clearance of goods at that crossing, except subsistence goods.
- San Roque González de Santa Cruz Bridge, to Argentina, between Encarnación and Posadas.
Opening hours and permitted traffic at border crossings change. Always check the current status before planning a shipment or a trip.
4. International airports
The national civil aviation authority (DINAC) lists two international airports:
- Silvio Pettirossi, listed by DINAC as an international airport;
- Guaraní, in Minga Guazú, Alto Paraná, in the Ciudad del Este area.
Routes, frequencies and cargo services depend on the airlines and change often. Check them when you decide.
5. Connectivity: who regulates and where to look
The Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (CONATEL) was created by Law 642/95 on Telecommunications as the autonomous body in charge of regulating telecommunications in Paraguay.
Its website publishes the National Register of Telecommunications Services, listing licensed providers by service: internet and data transmission, mobile telephony, cable TV and others. Use it to see which companies are authorised before you sign up.
6. What to check where you will operate
Conditions can change from one block to the next within the same city. Before you lease or buy a property for your company or your home, check these on site:
| Topic | What to check |
|---|---|
| Power | Whether the available capacity covers your equipment, how frequent outages have been in the area, and whether the building or plot has a generator. For large loads, ask ANDE directly about feasibility. |
| Access | Road condition on rainy days, whether trucks can get in and what size, and the real travel time to the main highway at the hours you will operate. |
| Port or border | Distance and time to the port, bridge or border crossing you will use, and what that crossing currently allows. |
| Airport | How long it takes to get there and whether your routes depart from it or require a connection. |
| Internet and mobile | Which providers serve that address, whether fibre is available and how the signal is indoors. Test it on site. |
| Land use | Whether your activity is allowed in that zone. Each municipality sets the rules. |
For licences, permits, tax or customs matters, consult a qualified professional in Paraguay.
What we checked and what we didn't
- ANDE's website could not be opened today; what we say about ANDE comes from the law that created it. We do not include electricity tariffs.
- Itaipú does not say which year the 77.9% and 6.7% figures refer to. Treat them as a published reference, not as current-year data.
- We could not confirm with DINAC the exact city of Silvio Pettirossi airport, or routes and frequencies, and there is no official date for the full opening of the Integration Bridge.
- We do not publish distances to ports, internet speeds or crossing times: they vary by place and date.
Official sources
Information checked in October 2026
- Itaipú Binacional, “Generación”, “Casa de máquinas” and “Nuestra historia”
- Entidad Binacional Yacyretá, “Datos técnicos”, “Ubicación” and “Historia”
- Library and Archive of the National Congress (BACN), Law 966/1964 (ANDE)
- Library and Archive of the National Congress (BACN), Law 6438/2019 (Waterway, Eighth Additional Protocol)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Integration Bridge Joint Commission statement (31/08/2026)
- Agencia de Información Paraguaya, Encarnación–Posadas border crossing (19/10/2021)
- DINAC, Airports Directorate
- CONATEL, Law 642/95 on Telecommunications and National Register of Telecommunications Services
Educational information, not legal, tax or immigration advice.