Reuters AlertNet Lite - Brazil to build dams despite Bolivian concerns

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Brazil to build dams despite Bolivian concerns

13 Jul 2007 18:30:55 GMT
Source: Reuters

BRASILIA, July 13 (Reuters) - Brazil will move ahead with plans to build two large dams in the Amazon region despite environmental concerns from Bolivia, Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said in a newspaper interview published on Friday.

The $11.6 billion hydroelectric plants near the Bolivian border could become the latest in a series of bilateral disputes that began when Bolivia nationalized its gas industry in May last year, forcing Brazil to pay more for natural gas.

"We are not going to stop doing things that are our right," Amorim told Valor newspaper in reference to the proposed dams.

Bolivia has informed Brazil in writing that it was concerned about the project and requested a high-level meeting. It said authorities had issued permits before studying environmental and social impacts.

Amorim described Bolivia's letter as friendly even though it was a complaint. He added that Brazil would keep Bolivia informed.

The Brazilian government issued preliminary environmental permits on Monday for the two plants to be built on the Madeira River, a major tributary to the Amazon.

Among the 33 requirements imposed by environmental agency Ibama are impact studies on biodiversity and possible silt accumulation along the rivers.

With a total capacity of 6,500 megawatts, the two dams are seen as key to Brazil's power generation growth and economic development in the next decade.

But environmental activists say they would flood vast areas, including parts of Bolivia and Peru; spread malaria and other water-borne diseases; and destroy migrating fish, bird and animal wildlife and swathes of rain forest.

The first dam is expected to be completed by 2012 or 2013.

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Last updated:Fri Jul 13 18:33:42 2007