Might hydropower lose its primacy in Brazil? If so, what energy sources will replace it? With hydroelectric plants accounting for 70% of Brazil’s installed capacity, such questions might seem theoretical. But they took on more weight this month when Ibama, the permitting arm of Brazil’s Environment Ministry, denied a request for a preliminary license for the R$30-billion (US$9.5-billion), 8,040-megawatt São Luiz do Tapajós dam. Ibama had never before refused to grant a license for a major Amazon dam. The Tapajós project would have created the second biggest hydropower plant in the Amazon, behind the recently completed Belo Monte dam, and one of the largest in the world. The dam was expected to supply 28% of the new hydropower capacity Brazil... [Log in to read more]
