Andrew Jensen

First Draft
Environmental Science -225
March 4, 2015
Tucuru Dam
The Tucuru Dam was developed in Par, Brazil, and located in the
Amazon rainforest. The hydroelectric power created from the dam provides
energy for much of Par, Maranho, and the nearby Carajs mining complex.
The wide variety of environmental impacts that Tucuru Dam has caused
includes forest loss, collapse of ecosystems, and greenhouse gas emissions
(Fearnside, Environemental). Many powerful stakeholders have their
influence in mitigation to keep the damn, making a full-sided argument for
alternative energy very difficult. With the stakeholders having an economical
and governmental stronghold on influence of the dam, combined efforts of
community, government, and private business can push for removal of the
dam. The northeast region shows prominent characteristics for implication of
solar and wind energy. The environmental impacts of the Tucuru Dam in
Northeast Brazil can be mitigated by dam removal and a transition to solar
and wind energy to provide energy in that region.
Northeast Brazil extends from the state of Maranhao to Bahia,
occupying 30 percent of the nation's population and less than a fifth of
Brazils area. It is home to many different indigenous people and plants
(Hanley). Tucuru was constructed on the Tocantins River in 1984, in the

state of Par. The region is known for export driven economic hotspots,
relying on the Par River to transport forestry and mining goods. The Par
river lies in the coastal plain subregion, which boarders along the Atlantic
Ocean. The dam supplies communities such as Belem, Sao Luiz, Maraba,
and Eastern Amazonia (Fearnside, Social). The Amazon River flows directly
through Par to reach its outlet on the Atlantic. This location allows Par to
be an economic hot spot for export goods. The population density is higher
than that of other states in northern Brazil, requiring large energy use from
the Tucuru (Encyclopedia Britannica).
The construction of large dams promises environmental and social
backlash, found through many studies. When dams are created, it floods
extremely large portions of land to create a reservoir. Tucuru had an official
catchment area of 2430km2 in 1987. Estimates of the reservoir are
measured by LANDSAT images, and it has shown consistent fluctuation in
past years. The semi-arid climate of this region has a very irregular annual
average rainfall, ranging from 200 to 700 mm (Fearnside, Environmental). In
2013, the Northeast Dams were experiencing the worst drought in 50 years,
just a mere 32 percent capacity. The national electrical grid can only
guarantee electricity supplies at a low of 34 percent. The varied pattern of
the Amazonian weather patterns reflects the sensitivity of hydroelectricity
(Stauffer).
Indigenous people of the region were displaced following the
construction of the dam. Eletronorte, subsidiary of the Brazilian power utility

Eletrobras, relocated 2539 rural families and 1433 urban families as of

February 1988. Another 3700 people have been resettled due to new areas
flooding by the reservoir (Fearnside, Social). The dam affects not just the
people who are relocated, but the social practices that make up the
communities economy and cultural tradition are affected. River dwellers are
very common alongside the Amazon River. They have built a culture around
their geographical surroundings, focusing on the river. Mass decrease in local
wild life and resources will cause suffering to a natives way of life (Clemons).
The expansion of area being used for the dam and reservoir causes
large deforestation. Migration of people to the area causes roads, markets,
and off-farm employment opportunities. With a population jump, more land is
needed to host the community, which in turns requires more deforestation of
the Amazon. Native plants also depend on the natural lifecycle stages, which
become severely altered in development. (Fearnside, Environmental). The
inconsistency of water in the reservoir causes flooding of natural plains and
other fluvial features such as sandbars, thus making substantial changes to
the speed of the water course and its capacity for erosion and for
transporting sediment (Waleska). Monthly changes in rainfall in the Northeast
region are presented in the Journal of Climate Change, with a decrease of
about 100-200mm below normal in January-May, 2012 (Marengo).
In proportion to a dams size, ecological fragmentation starts to
develop in a snowball momentum. Its purpose is to capture and control the
flow of the existing water source. Natural sediments whose process was

dependent on natural flow are caught and stored in fixed area. Isolating the
upstream and downstream ecosystems provokes major changes to the
riverside ecosystems. The changes that occur can be anything from erosion,
destruction of biotopes, hardening of the riverbed and extinction of species
(Clemons). Specifically recorded events of the early stages of Tucuru were
poor quality of water discharge, disappearance of species, and severely
diminished fishing catches. The changes in quality of water discharge are
very significant in wild habitats (Waleska).
The topic of Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from reservoirs such as
the Tucuru is a fairly new investigation for researchers. For a decade
observation has been focused on high emissions of CH4, methane.
Measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are also
being performed to accurately compare energy generation methods and
determine national GHG inventories (Demarty and Bastien). A review by
Sergio Pacca concludes, Based on the reservoirs studied, the amount of
carbon seems to be exponentially proportional to the installed capacity of
the power plant. This is related to the carbon mineralization that produces
both CO2 and CH4 (Pacca). Yet, the scientific community stills holds a debate
over reservoir emissions because it has not reached closure due to the
current state of scientific understanding, and its insufficient computation of
net emissions (Cullenward and Victor).
In 1992 the country of Brazil had five billionaires, three of them were
owners of large construction companies. The construction company

contracted for the Tucuru damn is Camargo Corre Construction. The owner
of Camargo Corre construction is a man by the name of Sebastiao Camargo.
He was one of the countrys five billionaires in 1992, providing a very
powerful stronghold within the country at the time (Fearnside,
Environmental). Carmargo Corra Group in 2013 has grown to a corporation
with net revenue of 25.831 billion dollars (carargoCorre.com). They are a
very large private industry that has financial profit from subsidized rates that
will last until 2018, thus being an important stakeholder in the Tucuru Dam
(Fearnside, Environmental).
The largest consumer of Tucurus energy is the metallic and aluminum
industry. The metallic silica plant is located near the town of Tucuru, with an
annual production of 32,000 t. The direct influence of the creation of the
Tucuru dam was in interest of the ALBRAS and ALUMAR aluminum smelters.
Fearnside states Lucio Flavio Pintos testimony to the CPI:
The decision to built Tucuru was not made in Brazil; in reality it was
made in Tokyo in a negotiation which, at the time, the Brazilian Minister of
Mines and Energy, Shigiaki Ueki, carried out with the a group of companies
from the Government of Japan. It was divided in Tokyo because the Japanese
consortium decided to implant 40 km from Belem, in Barcarena, what, at the
time, was the largest aluminum mill in the world.
He also explains the funding was lobbied by General Geisal, Brazils
ambassador of France, to provide the opportunity of an offshore loan. The
network between government and private industry in profit of the dam is a
large factor in the fighting argument of removal of Tucuru Dam. Lucio Pinto

shows a clear explanation of foreign interest and their role of stakeholders

(Fearnside, Environmental).
Identifying the groups and organizations that have interest in the ongoing use of the Tucuru dam is a pivotal step in creating change in energy
practices of the Northeast region, and the push to remove the dam as a
whole. Economical interest of construction firm, Camargo Corre
Construction, cannot be allowed to affect the growth and efficiency of Brazils
energy budget. Foreign lobbying in the interest for using the dam as energy
provider to power mining centers is no service to the people of Brazil or the
environment of the Amazon. A fragile ecosystem is being affected by
deforestation, ecological fragmentation, and greenhouse gas emissions,
when a thriving sector of solar and wind energy to could provide the only
public service that Tucuru Dam is promising, an energy supply. The
northeast region of Brazil has an abundant amount of geographical,
economical, and political opportunity to implement solar and wind as their
largest energy source.
The sun supports energy for almost all life on earth by photosynthesis,
and drives climate and weather. It is the most abundant of all energy
resources. The earth deflects solar energy at a rate 10,000 times greater
than the rate at which the global society consumes energy. Technically, this
means that in one hour, the energy intercepted by the earth exceeds
worldwide energy consumption for an entire year. Important patterns of
seasonal availability, variability of irradiation, and daytime temperature

onsite are the natural concerns that are accounted for when knowing the
overall availability of global solar energy (Renewable Energy Sources). The
potential that lies within solar energy is a very desirable quality. The NE
region is located between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, and
receives the highest annual average solar radiation in the country. It receives
an average of 20 MJ/m^2 of solar radiation seasonally (Jong). The
technology isnt in just one form, but has a wide range of conversion
techniques that are capable of meeting a variety of service needs.
Concentrated solar is a technique that is very popular. It takes the form of a
trough, tower, and dish. A tower would cost around 100 million dollars, and
be cost competitive with coal at the very start. The dish contains an external
combustion engine that burns sunlight instead of petroleum. A dish flexible
with its environment, you can run just one to power a neighborhood or small
building. By far the most popular and most progressive is the field of solar
photovoltaic cells. Solar PV are the panels you see on the occasional house
or building. New technology is allowing them to be thinner, bendable, and
capable of being incorporated into building structures. Recently created cell
designs can convert over 40% of the sunlight into electricity. Power
generated by a coal-powered plant costs $1.50 to $4 per Watt. Solar PV has
recently dropped to $6-$12 per watt, making the market closer than ever
before. The photovoltaic market has steadily increased from 2009-2013, with
annual growth rates ranging from 10 to more than 50 percent. The

economics of renewable energy are understood by the worlds market, and

are driven on local solar resources and cultural support (Tom Rand).
Another energy source that is very popular worldwide is wind power.
All wind turbines work alike; when the wind blows, it spins a turbine, which in
turn powers a generator. Simple wind energy has been used for many years,
such as to grind corn and wheat, to pump water, and water irrigation. Wind
Energy already has made its way into the economy, being a growing
business in certain regions worldwide. The realistic opportunity of wind is
fantastic, the northeast is home of the strongest and most consistent winds
in the world. According to the Empresa de Pesquisa Energtica (Energy
Research Company) the NE region has the potential to generate 75 GW of
electric power from wind sources. If only 10% of this wind power potential
was implemented, this would easily account for the electricity deficit in the
NE that currently is imported from other regions. The best winds occur along
the coastal areas of the states of Cear and Rio Grande do Norte and in the
interior of the state of Bahia (in the Chapada Diamantina region) from 2009
to 2011, in Bahia alone, 57 wind farms with a capacity of 1418 MW are
contracted to be installed in the next few years, and recently the state
licensed locations for an additional 133 wind farms with a total capacity of
3200 MW (Kazmerski).
The Brazilian government has made a huge culture shift towards green
policy in the 21st century, and you can see their progression as world leader
in renewable energy. The Ministry of Environment is a cabinet-level federal

ministry run be Izabella Teixeira. She is making great strides in this

progression of solar and wind energy in the federal level. The ministry has
noted strides such as creating enough protected areas in Brazil, equivalent to
70 percent of all protected areas in the world and the establishment of the
Amazon Fund. They are the forefront of the Green Party in Brazil, and with
the combined efforts, the utilization of solar and wind power can be
incorporated into the power grid of the northeast region (Hodges).
Though the Tucuru Dam has a considerable amount of benefits, its
vulnerability to droughts and significant anthropogenic hydrological
disturbances creates an undeniable realization that removal is a must.
Brazils establishment of dams is recent compared to a nation such as the
United States. The creation dams seemed to be coexistent the economical
growth of the region. The US is much farther along in the stages of dam
creation and use, which can be used as a mirror of the future to come for
Brazil. There have been 1,150 dams that have been removed in the past 100
years in the US(American Rivers). With the Tucuru dam being a very large in
size compared to most dams that have been removed in the US, looking at
the worlds largest dam removal in Washington States Elwha River would be
a realistic comparison (Nijhuis).
The Glines Canyon Dam removal began in 2011. It stands at 210 feet
tall, once powering a local economy that was driven by the timber industry.
The National Park Service established a plan for the dam to be taken down in
several stages. This way, there was a relatively gradual release of sediment

downstream. Reservoir sediment is large concern in dam removal, with very

little studies showing the quantity of sediment storage and transmittance
after. But observation made over the past three years have shown that
sediment has rebuilt riverbanks, gravel bars, and created around 70 acres of
new beach for native species. Ecosystems are being restored within the first
half a decade of proper dam removal. Glines Canyon Dam is an example of
what the Para region can behold if the Tucuru Dam is removed (Nijhuis).
Hydroelectricity plays an enormous role in Brazils northeast
regions energy budget. Its geographical location allows for a dependency
switch of hydroelectricity to be filled by the use of solar and wind energy. The
environmental impacts the Tucuru has caused within the Amazon Rainforest
can account for forest loss, collapse of ecosystems, and release of
greenhouse gas emissions. The northeast region is also experiencing their
largest drought in 50 years, which is a large vulnerability in the hydroelectric
industry. Solar and wind energy provides a realistic environmentally clean
future for providing energy to the Belem, Sao Luiz, Maraba, and Eastern
Amazonia areas. The emergence of dam removal could represent a
fundamental shift in the dams current economic stakeholders such as
Carmargo Corra Group and the metallic/aluminum industry. Within a
growing environmental change in government policy and cultural belief,
Brazils Ministry of Environment can adequately mitigate the removal of the
Tucuru Dam and transition to a solar and wind reliance.

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