Brazil's construction of two hydroelectric power plants along a river originated in Bolivia will not affect the neighbor's ecosystem, Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said in a letter released on Friday.
Amorim proposed to hold a bilateral meeting on the matter in the letter to his Bolivian counterpart David Choquehuanca, but insisted that Brazil alone has the authority to license the projects.
"The Brazilian government is prepared to provide information regarding the implementation of these projects' various stages," Amorim wrote.
Amorim, however, noted that the environmental licensing process was under the responsibility of Brazil's authorities since the two power plants are entirely located in its territory.
Brazil's environmental protection agency, Ibama, approved the construction of the Jirau and Santo Antonio plants along the Madeira River, opening the door to bidding on the construction of multiple dams that would generate electricity and permit barges to navigate to upstream tributaries in Peru and Bolivia.
Amorim said in the letter that the approval had considered the economic, social and environmental effects of the projects.
The Brazilian actions aroused great concern by Bolivia and Foreign Minister Choquehuanca wrote to Amorim demanding study on the projects' environmental impact on the Bolivian side of the border.
The 11.6-billion-dollar hydroelectric plant near the Bolivian border could worsen Brazil's current ties with Bolivia, which suffered setbacks due to Bolivia's demand for more pay for natural gas from Brazil after Bolivia nationalized its gas industry.
With a total capacity of 6,500 megawatts, the two plants are seen as key to Brazil's power generation growth and economic development in the next decade.
Source: Xinhua
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