The Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF1) accepted an appeal by the attorney’s office of Para State, where the third hydroelectric dam in the world is being built.

The construction works should be suspended until Congress hears the affected communities, according to the decision, which was cited by international news agencies that have been covering the case in the past days.

With 11,200 MW (nearly 11 per cent of the installed capacity of the country), Belo Monte will be the third largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, after Three Gorges Dam, in China, and Itaipu Dam, in the border between Brazil and Paraguay.

The court also set a fine of around 250 thousand dollars for each day the works continue disregarding the decision.
The value of the project amounts to 13 billion dollars and would flood 502 square kilometres, in addition to altering the course of Xingu River.

The project was approved in 2005 and the works started in 2011 and are supported by Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff. However, Brazilian social movements, especially Xingu communities and the Movement of Dam-Affected People (MAB) have rejected this project many times, pointing out that the power to be generated by Belo Monte would be given to extractive industries and not to improve the quality of life of the communities.

With reference to this, Real World Radio interviewed member of MAB, Rogerio Hohn, who is in Para state following closely the process of resistance against this mega-dam.

“For us, the decision is very good and motivates the struggle. There are over thirty indigenous villages affected. The power generated in the dam will not be used to develop the region or the country. The first interest is that of the large building companies. Another issue is the sale of the power: we estimated that the dam will cost 30 billion reais and in thirty years it will sell power for 90 billion reais”, said Rogerio.

The activist said that despite its size, the dam will not make power more accessible for the Brazilian communities, who pay the fifth more expensive fee in the world for electric power.

In terms of the court’s decision, Rogerio said “it was important, but not definitive since laws don’t allow for many advances”. The interests in the building of this dam are many. The MAB continues working in the struggle for the rights of the populations", he concluded.