27.05.2009
Messias Franco promises to “adjust” the issues related to the installation license of Jirau, disrespecting the ruling of his technical team

Telma Delgado Monteiro

We have seen this film before. The technical team of IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Energy Resources) once more have argued in a technical report against the concession of the installation license of a hydroelectric dam. It happened with the hydroelectric plant of Santo Antonio on Rio Madeira, the license of which had been refused. Now it is the time of Jirau. The president of the institute, Roberto Messias Franco, failed to justify his position when declared publicly and straightaway that: "[the reports] are always reversible" and that "we are working to adjust [the issues]. Nothing compromises, definitely [the emission of the license]".

Absolute scandal. The technical team of the institute presided by Messias Franco has persistently pointed out the inconsistencies of the studies of the two plants presented by the construction consortiums SAESA (Santo Antônio) and ENERSUS (Jirau). The technical team in the case of the Rio Madeira plants have considered other reports of renowned specialists in addition to their own knowledge and experience. They asked for additional data in their effort to “find” the social and environmental viability of these projects, they pointed out all the failures that inevitably invalidate all the plans and programs of the Basic Environmental Project (PBA) of both the plants, and then, Messias Franco declares that the reports “are reversible”. On paper? By adjustments?

Who gives more?

The conclusion of the new technical report repeats the same arguments that society – social movements, environmental organizations, academics and specialists – have been voicing from the first days of this story in 2001, which was released by one of the biggest companies of the country: Constructor Norberto Odebrecht. It sold to the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso a monster in the heart of the Amazon, the Madeira complex. And then invited Furnas Centrais Elétricas (State energy company), the jewel of the crown, to consolidate the support of the federal government of Lula and the then Minister of Mining and Energy, Dilma Rousseff.

The promised funding (the author’s hypothesis) for the next presidential election campaign, perhaps was not sufficient to help a “monkey become the king”. Lula’s plan to elect Dilma in the presidency demanded more effort$. Perhaps, Odebrecht, partner of Furnas in the Santo Antônio dam, had not offered enough to have the right to construct the two hydroelectric dams. Camargo Correa and Suez, on the other hand, must have covered the bid to be able to stay with Jirau, which will be constructed in a new place using as excuse some badly explained arguments for lower costs, bearing in mind that the auction had already occurred and the price per MWh had been already fixed. Therefore, one concludes that they were already counting with the support of ANEEL and Messias Franco for this change. As soon as their bid won, they burned the marked cards of their powerful adversaries, Furnas and Odebrecht. Unhappy with the defeat in the race to construct the second plant, the SAESA consortium went on to make up the damages.

Despite the influences, the sand clogged the machine of Camargo Correa and Suez (Enersus consortium) who won the auction and the “right” to ignore the law by switching the construction site of the dam in an area 9.2 km downstream on Rio Madeira without going through the licensing process again. But there is Messias Franco who signed the partial installation license for Jirau, ignoring the change of the construction site and the need for a new Environmental Impact Assessment Study and Environmental Impact Report (EIA/RIMA).

Impasse of illegalities

The works of Jirau started and already a new actor appeared to throw oil in the flames of the illuminated stage by “many fires”. State Governor Ivo Cassol alerted public opinion that Jirau was constructed in the middle of a State Conservation Unit without license! Fraud only exposed when it was not convenient for the government to knowingly ignore it. With an eye to the votes of big cattle farmers and timber extractors in the natural reserve Flona do Bom Futuro, illegally occupied and with a pending resolution for its repossession, governor Cassol attacked the Jirau hydroelectric plant which is, obviously, also illegal. Minister of Environment, Carlos Minc, tried to resolve the imbroglio, sometimes declaring that the invaders of the reserve would be regularized and remain there and others declaring that the judicial order would be respected and the invaders be removed. The stalemate continues. The dirty games of the governor of Rondônia involve a lot of money and follow the motto “the more power you have the less you cry”. One thing is for sure this way or another: the Amazonian region is going to lose and with it the traditional populations too.

Works in Jirau are suspended because IBAMA has not renewed the partial installation license and there is no license either from the State of Rondônia. In fact they shouldn’t have started at all, since the whole process is a well full of irregularities confirmed by the new technical report of IBAMA. It should be noted however, that the construction of Santo Antônio plant by the consortium SAESA, formed by Furnas and Odebrecht, follows the same model of irregularities and immoralities, despite being obfuscated by the situation of the antagonist with such exposure in the media. SAESA tries to sweep under the carpet the problems they face with the revolt of the riverine people, who, in their testimonies to the Federal Public Ministry of the State of Rondonia, have denounced the intimidations they have been suffering in order to accept an unjust and doubtful compensation scheme. Other denunciations from the Movement of Dam Affected People (MAB) are reporting the presence of representatives of the consortium escorted by the military police in the negotiations, in addition to retaliations, inexplicable fines and ill-timed inspections by the local IBAMA and the State Secretariat of Environment (SEDAM).

We cannot remain impassively assisting all these immoralities of the public administration which are trashing the environmental legislation. The role of IBAMA is to inspect and license works of significant impact, based on technical criteria and the current environmental legislation and not end up being a mere chancel instrument, subject only to the signatures of presidents and political decisions. As far as the technical team of IBAMA, they should burn their diplomas in a public square in protest, since obviously it is not their diplomas giving legitimacy to their technical reports.