Eletrobrás

Tribes Occupy the Belo Monte Dam Work Site

Kayapó Warrior Readies for a Response at the Belo Monte Dam Occupation
Early this morning on the Xingu River outside of Altamira, an estimated 600 indigenous people from 21 tribes, as well as fishermen, occupied the construction site of the Belo Monte Dam, demanding a definitive end to the project. Events are very fluid on the ground, and internet has been out in the region, so information is coming in bit by bit. We know that early on, the mobilization declared their intent to not leave the site until the Belo Monte Dam was cancelled for good.

Judge Calls License in Controversial Amazon Dam Project Illegal

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Brazilian federal judge votes for indigenous rights; argues Belo Monte Dam violates Constitution and international conventions Brasilia, Brazil―In a landmark decision on Monday, a federal judge in Brazil voted that the environmental licensing of the controversial Belo Monte Dam is illegal given the lack of consultations with affected indigenous communities. The vote is the first step in a long-awaited decision by a federal circuit court regarding a lawsuit filed in 2006 by the Federal Public Prosecutors’ Office that could ultimately bring the case before Brazil’s Supreme Court. In agre

Landmark Vote Upholds Indigenous Rights on Belo Monte

The Xikrin Kayapó recently told Public Prosecutor Felicio Pontes about the government's lack of prior consultations
On Monday, federal judge Selene Maria de Almeida voted in a landmark opinion in Brazilian courts that the Belo Monte Dam licenses are illegal and must be cancelled due to what is now widely-accepted evidence that the Brazilian government did not hold proper consultations with indigenous tribes that would be affected by the project. De Almeida argued that while the dam reservoirs do not flood indigenous territories, the project's diversion of the Xingu River will directly impact the tribes' abilities to reproduce physically, culturally, and economically, as 80% of the Xingu River would be chann

Legality of Belo Monte is Built on a House of Cards

The Brazilian government has built a legal house of cards for Belo Monte
In June of this year in Foz do Iguaçú, Brazil, at the International Hydropower Association's bi-yearly Congress, Eletrobras Director Valter Cardeal declared: "All of the indigenous people, even the Kayapó who live upstream from the area of impacts, are in favor of Belo Monte." Cardeal made the declaration with a straight face, speaking to the audience of dam industry CEOs, financial officers, and government representatives who were probably ecstatic to hear such a development. Too bad it wasn't true. Sitting in the front row were indigenous leaders Sheyla Yakarepi Juruna and Patxon Metuk

How the Hydro-Mafia Got Back Into Belo Monte

Dilma and José Sarney talking business
Dilma and José Sarney talking business Back in August, just as expected, a couple of beggars walked in through the exit door of the Belo Monte Dam Complex.  Clear evidence of the project's economic inviability had led Brazil's largest construction firms – Odebrecht, Camargo Corrêa, and Andrade Gutierrez – to withdraw from the project auction on April 20th. As a result, the government was forced to trot a few puppet companies into the auction to make believe that private investors were actually interested in the dam. The winners of the auction – Norte Energia, S.A., a rag-tag

Brazilian Delegates Recount Struggles Against Dams at Rivers for Life 3

Remnants of Arcediano Dam on the Santiago River in Mexico, Cancelled by Local Efforts
Remnants of Arcediano Dam on the Santiago River in Mexico, Cancelled by Local Efforts Leila Salazar-Lopez I've just returned from the Rivers for Life 3 meeting at Temacapulín, Mexico, where 300 delegates from across the world joined to learn from each others' experiences in campaigning against hydroelectric dams, and to share strategies in building energy and water alternatives. The story of Temacapulín is eerily similar to that of the Belo Monte Dam: government neglect, no free, prior, and informed consent, and local officials who are desperately working with local residents to

Dardanelos, Part 2: Tragedy Not Erased by CDM Botox

Lula Gets Botox Treatment
Lula Gets Botox Treatment Revista Veja Read part 1 of this blog. Have you ever known someone who has had botox? In the procedure, needles are stuck in your face and a bacterial neurotoxin byproduct – basically, botulism – is injected under your skin. And away go the wrinkles. The Brazilian hydro industry has been injecting plenty of botox into inviable projects in the hopes of giving grandfathered dams a nice clean, green sheen.  However, sometimes, despite how much botox is applied, some wrinkles just won't go away.   In 2006, energy company Aguas de Pedra submitted a project des

Another Indigenous Tragedy Highlights the Inviability of Amazonian Dams

Cinta-larga tribe
Cinta-larga tribe Headlines around the world this week again brought attention to the impacts of dams in the Amazon on indigenous people. But this time the culprit wasn’t the monstrous Belo Monte Dam planned for the Xingu River, but a smaller dam being built on the Aripuanã River in the state of Mato Grosso. The issue highlights the heightened tensions between indigenous people in the Amazon and those who seek to exploit the area’s natural resources. Last week, energy company Aguas da Pedra, builders of Dardanelos Dam (261 MW) in the state of Mato Grosso, dynamited a cemetery belongin

Belo Monte: State Subsidies a Trojan Horse for Mega-Risks

Trojan Horse
Last week ANEEL released the final list of 18 companies participating in the Belo Monte consortium. Everyone expected some big name investors to carry the USD$17 billion project. But, as of now, the state has close to a 75% stake in this "private project."

Lack of Private Sector in Belo Monte Consortium Signals Investor Concerns Over Financial Risks

Friday, July 16, 2010
Amazon Mega-Dam Deemed Unfeasible in Risk Scenario Analysis Brasilia, Brazil - This week's announcement detailing the members of the consortium seeking to build the controversial Belo Monte Dam in the Brazilian Amazon reveals a striking lack of private sector participation. The 18-member Norte Energia consortium(1) is marked by the absence of key players in the country's dam-building industry. State-owned or state-controlled participation in the consortium totals 77.5 percent, dwarfing the role of private sector investors and reflecting concerns about the financial risks associated wit

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