Why is the Belo Monte Dam bad?

Experts today attribute Belo Monte’s stunning inefficiency to a variety of factors, including poor design, poor siting on a seasonally variable river, plus dramatic increases in regional deforestation that are drawing down Xingu River water levels, and finally, global climate change, which is bringing more drought — …

Who is building the Belo Monte Dam?

The project is developed by Norte Energia. The consortium is controlled by the state-owned power company Eletrobras, which directly (15%) and through its subsidiaries Eletronorte (19.98%) and CHESF (15%) controls a 49.98% stake in the consortium.

How much did it cost to build the Belo Monte Dam?

According to the Brazilian energy ministry the dam, expected to start production in 2015, will cost around R$20bn (£6.8bn) and will eventually produce around 11GW of electricity.

What are the benefits of the Belo Monte Dam?

Advantages

• Allows socio-economic development (increase GDP by 5% each year over next 10 years with extra 6000 MW of energy each year)
• Could provide power for 18 million homes.

Where is the Belo Monte Dam built?

The Belo Monte project is a prime example. The Brazilian government is constructing the Belo Monte mega-dam on the Xingu River in the Amazon.

Why was Belo Monte built?

The controversial Belo Monte dam, operational in 2016 and the world’s third biggest, was forced on the people of Altamira, Pará state, and is now believed to have been built largely as payback to Brazil’s construction industry by the nation’s then ruling Workers’ Party for campaign contributions received.

How will the Belo Monte Dam affect indigenous people?

The construction of the Belo Monte dam affected negatively not only the environment but also the indigenous and traditional communities, violating their rights of living, expressing their culture and the right to consultation, as the local people have not been included in Belo Monte’s decision-making.

How much electricity does the Belo Monte Dam produce?

Its current power generation capacity of 100,000MW needs to be raised to 220,000MW by 2030, in order to meet the anticipated growth in demand.

Where is the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil?

The Belo Monte project is a prime example. The Brazilian government is constructing the Belo Monte mega-dam on the Xingu River in the Amazon. Kayapó dance at an anti-dam protest, Piaraçu, Mato Grosso, Brazil, 2006.

Who are the people who are against the Belo Monte Dam?

American actress Sigourney Weaver demonstrates with indigenous people from around the world against Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam as part of the Brazilian Permanent Mission to the UN, New York, USA. The Indians say that they will oppose the dam at all costs, and that if construction proceeds, the Xingu river will become a river of blood.

How did the Belo Monte Dam affect the Xingu River?

The dam, if completed, will be the third largest in the world and it will flood a large area of land, dry up certain parts of the Xingu river, cause huge devastation to the rainforest and reduce fish stocks upon which Indians in the area, including Kayapó, Arara, Juruna, Araweté, Xikrin, Asurini and Parakanã Indians,…

When was the Belo Monte Dam project cancelled?

The Belo Monte plan was re-launched in 2002, after opposition from indigenous peoples and their supporters forced the cancellation of the original project.