Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant cost 40 billion and brought benefits such as a hospital, basic sanitation and even a penitentiary complex; see all the benefits of the giant energy source

The construction of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant has been widely criticized, especially for its environmental and social impacts, such as deforestation. Greenpeace, for example, an environmental organization, has already stated that the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant “resulted in a pile of social, environmental and economic problems”.

However, on the CPG portal, Norte Energia, the concessionaire responsible for the plant, revealed a series of benefits and measures adopted that could change the perception of this monumental project.

According to the concessionaire, Belo Monte, which cost R$40 billion according to updated figures in 2024, brought significant improvements to the region, including the construction of a hospital, basic sanitation and a penitentiary complex.

According to the company, these improvements aim not only to meet the demands of the local population, but also to compensate for the environmental and social impacts of the plant.

Environmental licenses

Norte Energia explained that, during the construction of Belo Monte, Ibama issued authorizations with the delimitation of polygons for workplaces. The area of ​​vegetation suppression carried out corresponds to only 0,04% of the total area of ​​the Xingu River basin and 0,0045% of the Legal Amazon.

Furthermore, the company carried out work to rescue groups of plants and animals, preventing flooded vegetation from generating greenhouse gases, since submerged plants emit carbon dioxide during their decomposition.

According to Norte Energia, reforestation projects in the Middle Xingu have recovered, by June 2024, an area equivalent to 3 thousand football fields. 1,7 million native seedlings of 159 species were planted, some of which are threatened, such as acapu, mahogany, chestnut and clovewood. The company's goal is to recover 7,6 hectares by 2045, which will correspond to 5,5 million native seedlings planted in the Amazon region.

According to the company, no Indigenous Land was flooded by the project, and no indigenous community had to leave their place of origin. Before Belo Monte, the region's indigenous people numbered 2 in 26 villages. Currently, there are 8.675 – 5.203 indigenous people in villages and 3.472 in an urban/riverside context – from nine different ethnicities in the Middle Xingu.

Belo Monte and investments in social programs

Since the installation of the plant, Norte Energia has invested around R$1,2 billion in 42 programs and projects approved by Funai in 2012, with emphasis on education, health, preservation of cultural heritage, productive activities and territorial and environmental protection.

The company also explained that it has structured and maintained Funai's Remote Monitoring Center (CMR) since 2015, which monitors 98% of the country's Indigenous Lands, where 867,9 indigenous people live. “This tool monitors and analyzes images and data to combat deforestation, degradation, forest fires and criminal occupation and use in around 600 Indigenous Lands in the Legal Amazon”, explains Norte Energia.

Relationship with indigenous communities

Still regarding its relationship with indigenous communities, the company says it maintains a permanent dialogue with the people of the Middle Xingu. “Daily interactions and tripartite meetings involve indigenous representatives and the indigenous body to discuss and analyze the actions being carried out”, he states.

Norte Energia also highlighted the direct and indirect benefits for the region, such as job creation, royalties and energy security. Furthermore, the construction of Belo Monte brought other positive factors:

• In health, the Altamira General Hospital was built, with a capacity of 100 beds to care for high and medium complexity cases. Norte Energia also equipped the hospital and built 32 Basic Health Units in the five municipalities around the plant and another 32 Basic Indigenous Health Units on Indigenous Lands.
• There was a 97% drop in malaria cases in the five municipalities in the hydroelectric plant's area of ​​influence, the result of a program led by the company to combat the disease, which is endemic in the region.
• Norte Energia built 609 km of water and sewage networks and implemented 92% of Altamira's sanitation network, connecting 19 thousand properties.
• In education, the company reinforced the infrastructure of the five municipalities neighboring the project with 78 works, representing around 492 classrooms built and/or renovated, directly benefiting 23,2 thousand students. Educational spaces were also built, such as computer and reading rooms.
• In security, Norte Energia built the Vitória do Xingu Penitentiary Complex, renovated police units and donated 80 vehicles and a helicopter to the Public Security Secretariat of Altamira.

With this, we notice that the North Energy highlights the countless benefits that the construction of Belo Monte brought to the region, contrasting with criticisms about environmental impacts. The question remains, reader: do these measures compensate for the damage caused? What do you think?