Bolivian President Evo Morales last July announced what he described as the most important infrastructure project in his country’s history: the construction of two large hydroelectric dams on the Beni River, between two protected areas. Together, the Amazon basin power stations will cost US$6 billion and add 3,676 megawatts in installed generating capacity—more than doubling the country’s existing capacity. Currently, Bolivia has 1,800 megawatts in installed capacity, most of it in natural-gas-fired thermoelectric plants, and only uses about 1,300 megawatts of it, according to figures released by Hydrocarbons Minister Luis Sánchez. The minister says Bolivia will export the dams’ electricity to Brazil, earning US$1.25 billion annually. President Morales vows that once the dams are completed in 2025 and increases in... [Log in to read more]