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Article

16 Oct 2015

Author:
Piero Locatelli, Repórter Brasil (Brazil)/Global Forest Watch

Brazil: NGO alleges Teles Pires dam failed to comply with its Deforestation Plan, did not consult affected people

“The Amazon Rots Away in New Hydroelectric Power Plant Reservoir- The Teles Pires power plant violated its environmental plan and flooded the dam reservoir without clearing vegetation. The resulting decomposition will release large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas at least 20 times stronger than carbon dioxide at trapping heat”, 13 October 2015

...[To read the original article in Portuguese, click here]...The Teles Pires hydroelectric power plant,…in the Amazon rainforest…, will begin generating energy while trees rot in its reservoir…The rotting vegetation will likely result in increased fish mortality and methane gas emissions, which is at least twenty times more potent than carbon dioxide in contributing to the greenhouse effect. This impact is inexcusable for a company that presents itself as a “clean, renewable, and environmentally friendly source [of energy].” That company is called Teles Pires Hydroelectric Company, a consortium formed by Neoenergia…, Eletrobras Furnas…, Eletrobras Eletrosul…, and Odebrecht...[T]he company…[failed]…to comply with the regulatory requirements for its operation as stated in the Deforestation Plan:…the proper removal of vegetation from the area to be flooded…[T]hese violations…[also]… result in large-scale timber waste…Teles Pires Hydroelectric also left trees in areas that should have been completely clear cut…As the federal environmental inspection agency, IBAMA should have detected Teles Pires’s violations sooner, but its technicians didn’t catch them until February, 2015,…after authorizing operations in November of 2014. According to…[their]…report…, “the reservoir accumulation clean-up was carried out in an undiscerning and nearly negligent manner.” Prior to IBAMA’s inspection, the power plant’s violations had been flagged by the Instituto Centro de Vida…, a non-governmental organization that is monitoring the impacts of Teles Pires…Teles Pires Hydroelectric Company…[said]…that they are taking “the additional measures necessary or required by the environmental authorities, including cleaning the reservoir”…The scientists weren’t the only ones not consulted on the details of the plant’s environmental plan, the local population affected by the project was left out as well…