Belo Monte Dam

The Brazilian government is planning to build what would be the world’s third-largest hydroelectric project on one of the Amazon’s major tributaries, the Xingu. The Belo Monte Dam would divert the flow of the Xingu River and devastate an extensive area of the Brazilian rainforest, displacing over 20,000 people and threatening the survival of indigenous peoples. (see map)

The most controversial dam project facing Brazil today, Belo Monte is a struggle about the future of Amazonia. The Brazilian government has plans to build more than 60 large dams in the Amazon Basin over the next 20 years. Many Brazilians believe that if Belo Monte is approved, it will represent a carte blanche for the destruction of all the magnificent rivers of the Amazon - next the Tapajos, the Teles Pires, then the Araguaia-Tocantins, and so on. The Amazon will become an endless series of lifeless reservoirs, its life drained away by giant walls of concrete and steel.

The government says the project will cost more than US$10 billion, but industry analysts say that due to the difficulties in building a project of this size in the Amazon, its cost could easily exceed US$16 billion. While the project will have an installed capacity of 11,233 MW, the dam would be highly inefficient, generating as little as 1000 MW during the 3-4 month low water season.

The project’s extremely high cost and the river’s large seasonal variations in flow have led many to believe that after completing Belo Monte, Brazil will build other dams upstream with greater storage capacity to guarantee there will be enough water for Belo Monte to generate electricity year-round.

What’s the true cost of Belo Monte Dam? The answer is that no one knows yet. What’s clear is that Belo Monte will be the one of the largest, most devastating infrastructure projects ever to be built in the Amazon.

International Rivers is working with the Kayapó and other indigenous groups and environmental and human rights activists to protect the Xingu River Basin from large dams and to promote alternatives to meeting Brazil's energy needs.

LATEST ADDITIONS:

Sigourney Weaver Narrates New Google Earth Animation on Brazil’s Controversial Belo Monte Dam

Indigenous Movement Protests Against the Granting of the Belo Monte Dam Concession in Brasilia

Sigourney Weaver Narrates Google Earth Tour of Belo Monte Dam

Letter from Brazilian organizations to the Secretary of Development, Science and Technology of the State of Pará

Belo Monte, "The Worst Engineering Project in the History of Brazil"

CONTACT US:

Brent Millikan
brent [at] internationalrivers [dot] org
+55 61-8153-7009