Brazil has given the go ahead for the construction of the world’s third-largest hydroelectric dam in the Amazon (BBC News, New York Times).

The nation’s environment agency, Ibama, has issued the penultimate licence that the Norte Energia consortium building the dam needs, BBC News reports. Building work on the dam can now begin. The project will cost around US$11 billion. (See Nature’s previous coverage of the proposed dam here)

The move comes after three decades of planning and a protracted battle between the government and environmentalists. The government says the dam, capable of producing 11,200 megawatts of electricity, is important for meeting Brazil’s growing energy needs. But opponents are concerned that it will damage the tropical rainforest and displace tens of thousands of people.

The nation’s environment agency says the Belo Monte dam on the Xingu River, a tributary of the Amazon in the state of Pará, has been subjected to robust environmental impact analysis.

Protesters are continuing to fight. “We will not cede an inch,” said Antônia Melo, the coordinator of Xingu Vivo Para Sempre, a campaign group based in Altamira, a city that will be partly flooded. “Our indignation and our strength to fight only increases with every mistake and every lie of this government."

Picture source: Wikipedia