The Brazilian government has approved a controversial $17 billion dam project at Belo Monte in the Amazonian rainforest, a massive project that would become the third-largest hydroelectric facility in the world but displace thousands of people. Government officials say the 11,000-megawatt plant, which would be capable of powering 23 million homes, is a critical step toward providing energy for the nation’s growing population. But indigenous communities and conservationists have protested the proposed dam for decades, citing major environmental and social consequences. The 3.75-mile-long dam (six kilometers) would displace 30,000 people who live near the area’s rivers, partially dry up a 62-mile stretch of the Xingu River, and flood a 193-square-mile area (500-square-kilometers). The first stage of the project would include the clearing of 588 acres of forest. The project is expected to begin producing electricity by 2015.
Brazil OKs Forest Clearing for $17 Billion Belo Monte Dam Project
More From E360
-
Cities
‘Sponge City’: How Copenhagen Is Adapting to a Wetter Future
-
INTERVIEW
On Controlling Fire, New Lessons from a Deep Indigenous Past
-
Solutions
Paying the People: Liberia’s Novel Plan to Save Its Forests
-
OPINION
Forest Service Plan Threatens the Heart of an Alaskan Wilderness
-
INTERVIEW
Pakistan’s Solar Revolution Is Bringing Power to the People
-
Food & Agriculture
In Uganda, Deadly Landslides Force an Agricultural Reckoning
-
Energy
Why U.S. Geothermal May Advance, Despite Political Headwinds
-
Food & Agriculture
In War Zones, a Race to Save Key Seeds Needed to Feed the World
-
Climate
Lightning Strikes the Arctic: What Will It Mean for the Far North?
-
RIVERS
A Win for Farmers and Tribes Brings New Hope to the Klamath
-
Solutions
Deconstructing Buildings: The Quest for New Life for Old Wood
-
NATURAL DEFENSES
How Restored Wetlands Can Protect Europe from Russian Invasion