Belo Monte, Belo Sun and the Brazilian infrastructure impasse in the Amazon

Ten years after the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant, in Pará, came into operation, Brazil still faces difficulties in answering the question of whether it is possible to expand strategic infrastructure in the Amazon without reproducing a permanent cycle of social conflicts, legal insecurity and environmental degradation.

The coincidence between the plant's decade anniversary and the judgment, by the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF1), in Brasília, on issues related to the licensing of the Canadian Belo Sun gold exploration project reignites a strategic debate for the country. The two cases reveal the persistence of structural impasses in the Brazilian model for implementing large projects, mainly in the Amazon.

Belo Monte was conceived as a symbol of energy modernization and security for economic growth. In terms of engineering and installed capacity, it has become one of the largest hydroelectric plants in the world. In practice, however, energy generation was below initial expectations. Although it has an installed capacity of 11,233 MW, the actual average production is around 4,500 MW, as the plant was designed as a run-of-the-river plant and depends directly on the volume of the Xingu River. Over the years, the project has also consolidated a legacy marked by legal disputes, socio-environmental controversies and questions about the State's ability to reconcile economic development, environmental protection and guaranteeing rights.

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In Volta Grande do Xingu, a region directly affected by the reduction in river flow, indigenous, riverside and fishermen communities have been living with profound changes in their living conditions for years. The pressure on the territory did not disappear with the completion of the plant and the advancement of new projects, such as that of the mining company Belo Sun, shows that the region continues in a reality of continuous economic exploration based on mega infrastructure projects.

The problems identified in Belo Monte are still present. The debate on Belo Sun raises issues that remain sensitive in the country: the fragility of environmental licensing, the lack of effective prior consultation with impacted communities, non-compliance with conditions and the low capacity to repair socio-environmental damage caused by large projects.

The discussion is not limited to a simple being "against" or "for" great works. The challenge is to define the criteria that make projects economically viable, environmentally responsible and socially legitimate in a climate emergency context.

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The trial involving Belo Sun, just as Belo Monte completes ten years of operation, reveals that the country has not yet resolved this equation. The Amazon continues to be seen as a strategic frontier for economic expansion, despite being a territory of high institutional and socio-environmental vulnerability.

Brazil cannot discuss a specific, isolated project, it should already be deciding which infrastructure model it intends to consolidate in the coming decades and which is a model capable of incorporating territorial planning, social participation and real impact mitigation. Ten years later, Belo Monte remains a warning about the costs of ignoring and postponing this decision.

* Marcella Torres and Erina Gomes are lawyers at the Human Rights Program at AIDA (Inter-American Association for the Defense of the Environment)

The articles published by CNN Infra seek to stimulate debate, reflection and shed light on views on the main challenges, problems and solutions faced by Brazil and other countries in the world. The texts published in this space do not necessarily reflect the opinion of CNN Brasil.

Source: CNN