Madeira Dams: Amazon Hydropower & Its Price
The Santo Antônio and Jirau dams on the Madeira River near Porto Velho — among the world's largest hydroelectric projects — transformed the western Amazon's ecology and the city's economy simultaneously
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Santo Antônio Dam
The Santo Antônio Dam – completed in 2011, just upstream of Porto Velho – is one of Brazil's largest hydroelectric projects; the dam flooded 422 km² of Madeira River habitat, displacing communities and disrupting fish migration
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Jirau Dam Complex
The Jirauda Dam 130 km upstream from Porto Velho — completed in 2013 — added 3,750 MW to Brazil's electricity grid; the combined Madeira complex provides power to much of Brazil's industrial south
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Fish migration disorder
The Madeira dams blocked one of the Amazon's most important fish migration routes — the result of the collapse of migratory fish populations in Madeira affected fishing communities throughout the river system
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Labor unrest and working conditions
The construction of the Jiraudammen was marked by labor unrest in 2011 — the conditions in the construction camps, the working methods and the workforce of 20,000 led to strikes and violence
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Belo Monte Controversy
The Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River (Pará) – the world's third largest – was the most controversial of Brazil's Amazonian dams; the displacement of indigenous peoples and the ecological damage made it a global environmental controversy
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Energy versus environment debate
Brazil's hydroelectric ambitions in the Amazon – promising clean renewable energy while destroying river ecosystems – represent one of the world's most important energy policy debates; The Madeira Dam is its local embodiment