For the first time engineers and Indians smoked the peace pipe in the Xingu. After 23 years of skirmishes around the construction of the Belo Monte Dam, they signed an agreement on Wednesday, 1
Representatives from five ethnic groups living in the area of direct influence of what purports to be the second largest dam in the world (but the largest in Brazil) accepted the continuation of the works. In exchange, developers agreed to comply with what the environmental licensing has forced them to do, but now under the supervision of the Indians themselves!
They will also monitor one of the most feared effects of the damming of the Xingu River, near the city of Altamira, Pará State, now in its middle course: the lack of water downstream, where some tribes live. They would suffer from thirst and hunger by at least three months of the year when the drought is greater.
One of the environmental licensing commitments made by the consortium that won the public bidding of Belo Monte was to maintain a minimum flow of 700,000 liters of water per second. It is well above the level registered in the summers more rigorous, which is 400,000 liters. If registered flow below this level, the construction company Northern Energy may be penalized and even lose the concession - with or without supervision indigenous which is now formalized in two management committees.
All claims that the Indians proclaimed by occupying the construction site were answered after two days of intense negotiation. After signing the agreement, they withdrew from the local to whom returned the 2,500 workers who worked there. The consolidation of the agreement, which removes the main obstacle to the continuity of service will depend on the implementing of what has been defined.
The delay, in fact, will be minimal, almost imperceptible. And the orders of the Indians could not be achieved without much effort. Strictly speaking, a lot of noise and confusion for a little real effect.
The monumental dam is being built simultaneously on five fronts. All working on dry land, which is a rarity in large projects in the Amazon, providing exceptional speed to work. There is no other similar development in the region.
On the site occupied by the Indians appear the main project of the two spillways, beside which is mounted a powerhouse supplement. The main powerhouse will be built after the second spillway, this non-motorized, 50 miles downstream in a straight line (140 kms by natural bed). It is a completely original design standards for the dams. Not all paid attention to this singularity.
The project rejected outright by the same indigenous groups in 1989 has little to do with the current. He followed the same design of the Tucuruí hydroelectric dams and other large. Everything should focus on the area that the Indians occupied on June 21
In order to gain (or bypass) the national resistance to the hydroelectric development of the valley of the Xingu River, which flows through the territories of Mato Grosso and Para, one of the most beautiful and complex country, the government canceled five of the six dams planned inventory from the year 1970. They maintained Belo Monte .
Instead of one barrier became three. In the earliest stage is already under construction main spillway, which at first would not be motorized. In newer versions (which seem to have no end), he will receive eight bulb turbines.
They are very small: its capacity is more than 20 times smaller than the giant turbines of Francis, of whom 18 (not 20 as indicated penultimate version of the project) will be the main force.
The bulb type turbines operate with little water and water with his head down (just a drop of 12 meters, 90 meters of conventional turbines). No need to water accumulation in a reservoir. They are - like they say the engineers - the stream of water, with low environmental impact.
The 233 megawatts that these eight machines will generate, from 2015, representing 40% of which produces one of the 18 turbines of the powerhouse another conventional. Altogether, these take into account the potential of 12,000 MW Belo Monte. Energy that will be transferred almost entirely to the south of Brazil.
For local consumption this plant would not be necessary.
Before reaching this reservoir, the waters of the Xingu (which can achieve throughput of 19 million liters per second) will be diverted from its natural course. For 50 kilometers, they go down 90 meters through artificial channels of concrete, also now under construction, the greatest work of this kind worldwide.
An intricate network of canals lead the water to a reservoir created out of the river channel, which, through a new spillway will reach the water intake of the main powerhouse. Their machines require 10 million liters per second to be able to produce according to their capacity.
This will only be fully achieved in the rainiest months of the year, which will not be more than seven or eight. Therefore the energy firm that available throughout the year, drops to 4300 MW, well below what would be the average cost of 5500 MW. Still, designers of Belo Monte guarantee that it will be profitable and that it will provide 8% of national demand, through a matrix renewable and clean.
Responding to critics and adjusting to new patterns of demand, the Xingu hydroelectric complex represents, literally, what its title says. It is the work more complicated than ever conceived and realized in Brazil in the energy sector. In so many amendments and corrections, has acquired an entirely new profile, which can be seen as something monstrous (a Frankenstein hydroelectric) or exquisite, so as to see it.
Of course, this vast complexity in the approach of a river was not put on the negotiating table with the Indian leaders. But spreadsheets will be back to work in the tempo. In such a way that perhaps only with the fait accompli it will be possible to know for certain, what creature will emerge from the clipboards of the engineers.
Environmental Conference, Rio + 20 :
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/world/americas/rio20-conference-ends-with-some-progress-on-the-sidelines.html
The delay, in fact, will be minimal, almost imperceptible. And the orders of the Indians could not be achieved without much effort. Strictly speaking, a lot of noise and confusion for a little real effect.
The monumental dam is being built simultaneously on five fronts. All working on dry land, which is a rarity in large projects in the Amazon, providing exceptional speed to work. There is no other similar development in the region.
On the site occupied by the Indians appear the main project of the two spillways, beside which is mounted a powerhouse supplement. The main powerhouse will be built after the second spillway, this non-motorized, 50 miles downstream in a straight line (140 kms by natural bed). It is a completely original design standards for the dams. Not all paid attention to this singularity.
The project rejected outright by the same indigenous groups in 1989 has little to do with the current. He followed the same design of the Tucuruí hydroelectric dams and other large. Everything should focus on the area that the Indians occupied on June 21
In order to gain (or bypass) the national resistance to the hydroelectric development of the valley of the Xingu River, which flows through the territories of Mato Grosso and Para, one of the most beautiful and complex country, the government canceled five of the six dams planned inventory from the year 1970. They maintained Belo Monte .
Instead of one barrier became three. In the earliest stage is already under construction main spillway, which at first would not be motorized. In newer versions (which seem to have no end), he will receive eight bulb turbines.
They are very small: its capacity is more than 20 times smaller than the giant turbines of Francis, of whom 18 (not 20 as indicated penultimate version of the project) will be the main force.
The bulb type turbines operate with little water and water with his head down (just a drop of 12 meters, 90 meters of conventional turbines). No need to water accumulation in a reservoir. They are - like they say the engineers - the stream of water, with low environmental impact.
The 233 megawatts that these eight machines will generate, from 2015, representing 40% of which produces one of the 18 turbines of the powerhouse another conventional. Altogether, these take into account the potential of 12,000 MW Belo Monte. Energy that will be transferred almost entirely to the south of Brazil.
For local consumption this plant would not be necessary.
Before reaching this reservoir, the waters of the Xingu (which can achieve throughput of 19 million liters per second) will be diverted from its natural course. For 50 kilometers, they go down 90 meters through artificial channels of concrete, also now under construction, the greatest work of this kind worldwide.
An intricate network of canals lead the water to a reservoir created out of the river channel, which, through a new spillway will reach the water intake of the main powerhouse. Their machines require 10 million liters per second to be able to produce according to their capacity.
This will only be fully achieved in the rainiest months of the year, which will not be more than seven or eight. Therefore the energy firm that available throughout the year, drops to 4300 MW, well below what would be the average cost of 5500 MW. Still, designers of Belo Monte guarantee that it will be profitable and that it will provide 8% of national demand, through a matrix renewable and clean.
Responding to critics and adjusting to new patterns of demand, the Xingu hydroelectric complex represents, literally, what its title says. It is the work more complicated than ever conceived and realized in Brazil in the energy sector. In so many amendments and corrections, has acquired an entirely new profile, which can be seen as something monstrous (a Frankenstein hydroelectric) or exquisite, so as to see it.
Of course, this vast complexity in the approach of a river was not put on the negotiating table with the Indian leaders. But spreadsheets will be back to work in the tempo. In such a way that perhaps only with the fait accompli it will be possible to know for certain, what creature will emerge from the clipboards of the engineers.
Environmental Conference, Rio + 20 :
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/world/americas/rio20-conference-ends-with-some-progress-on-the-sidelines.html
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