by KENNETH RAPOZA
It’s the biggest forest battle on Earth. The plot: a big government, in this case Brazil – armed to the teeth with unlimited executive and financial powers – takes on a rag tag group of river-dwelling tribes and around 20,000 poor people who happen to be in the way of what might become the world’s largest hydroelectric dam project.
The dam, known as Belo Monte, is to be built along the Xingu River in Brazil’s Wild West state of Pará, a large and relatively desolate state. Most homes have no running water or sewer system. Pará happens to be located in a desirable piece of global real estate: the Amazon.
On April 20, 2010, the US$ 9.35 billion project was auctioned off to the lowest bidder, as is custom in Brazil’s highly regulated electric power sector. Norte Energia, a consortium of government-owned power companies and some privately held construction firms, won. Norte Energia needs to spend around US$ 2 billion to meet 40 social and environmental demands before Brazilian environmental licensing agency, IBAMA, grants the all-important installation permit.
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