Jirau Dam
Encyclopedia
The Jirau Dam is a hydroelectric dam currently under construction on the Madeira River
in the state of Rondônia
, Brazil
.
The dam is part of a planned four power plant Madeira river hydroelectric complex, which will consist of two dams in Brazil (3150 MW Santo Antonio Dam
at the city of Porto Velho and 3300 MW Jirau about 100 km upstream), a third on the border of Brazil and Bolivia, and a forth station inside Bolivia. Two of these, Santo Antonio and Jirau, are currently under construction, while the smaller upstream dams are still in the planning stages. In part due to the 2001-2002 power shortage in Brazil, construction of both dams was accelerated in 2009, and now Santo Antonio is scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2011, and Jirau will go on-stream one year later in 2012. The total estimated cost of the two facilities currently under construction is $15.6 billion ($8 billion for Jirau), including about $10 billion for the civil engineering and power plants, and $5 billion for ship locks, transmission lines, and environmental re-mediation. The Madeira river hydroelectric complex is part of the Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA), an effort by South American governments to integrate the continent's infrastructure with new investments in transportation, energy, and communication.
Construction on the project was halted in March 2011 due to worker riots.
will be arched, 63 m (207 ft) tall and will have an asphalt
-core. It's structural volume will be 2000000 cubic metre of which 17000 cubic metre will be asphalt. The dam's spillway will consist of 21 gates and will have a maximum discharge of 82000 m3/s. The dam's power station will contain 44 x 75 MW Kaplan bulb turbines
for a total installed capacity of 3,300 MW. The reservoir
created by the dam will have a surface area of 258 square kilometre of which 135 square kilometre is the original riverbed. Bulb turbines are a variation of the Kaplan turbine, with the main differences being that bulb turbines are installed horizontally and are generally considered to be slightly more efficient. The power plant is being constructed by the French utility GDF Suez SA and Brazilian company Camargo Correa SA.
predicts that there may be un-contacted indigenous populations in the region that will be affected by the Madeira complex. Most of the affected populations are nearest to the Jirau dam. The threat to uncontacted indians has motivated both internal and external criticism of GDF Suez, the contractor responsible for building the Jirau dam. A coalition of non governmental organizations called for dam construction to be halted, and questions were raised during annual meeting of GDF Suez.
in 1884. Many Bolivians feel a deep and lasting bitterness due to this loss, and the Bolivian military continues to build and maintain an open ocean navy in Lake Titicaca
, awaiting an eventual recovery of access to the sea. The Madeira river complex presents an opportunity for Bolivia because all of the hydroelectric dams would feature ship locks
capable of raising and lowering ocean going vessels. If the project is completed, "more than 4,000 km of waterways upstream from the dams in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru would become navigable."
Hence, if the project is completed, both Bolivian commercial vessels and the Bolivian navy would have access to the open ocean, and lucrative sea lanes, for the first time in 120 years.
Madeira River
The Madeira River is a major waterway in South America, approximately 3,250 km miles long The Madeira is the biggest tributary of the Amazon...
in the state of Rondônia
Rondônia
Rondônia is a state in Brazil, located in the north-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. Its capital is Porto Velho. The state was named after Candido Rondon...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
The dam is part of a planned four power plant Madeira river hydroelectric complex, which will consist of two dams in Brazil (3150 MW Santo Antonio Dam
Santo Antônio Dam
The Santo Antônio Dam is an under construction hydroelectric dam on the Madeira River southwest of Porto Velho in the state of Rondônia, Brazil....
at the city of Porto Velho and 3300 MW Jirau about 100 km upstream), a third on the border of Brazil and Bolivia, and a forth station inside Bolivia. Two of these, Santo Antonio and Jirau, are currently under construction, while the smaller upstream dams are still in the planning stages. In part due to the 2001-2002 power shortage in Brazil, construction of both dams was accelerated in 2009, and now Santo Antonio is scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2011, and Jirau will go on-stream one year later in 2012. The total estimated cost of the two facilities currently under construction is $15.6 billion ($8 billion for Jirau), including about $10 billion for the civil engineering and power plants, and $5 billion for ship locks, transmission lines, and environmental re-mediation. The Madeira river hydroelectric complex is part of the Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA), an effort by South American governments to integrate the continent's infrastructure with new investments in transportation, energy, and communication.
Construction on the project was halted in March 2011 due to worker riots.
Design
The Jirau Dam will be a combination embankment dam with concrete sections for the power stations and spillway. The length of the entire dam will be 1100 m (3,609 ft) while the embankment section will be 800 m (2,625 ft). The embankment damEmbankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
will be arched, 63 m (207 ft) tall and will have an asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
-core. It's structural volume will be 2000000 cubic metre of which 17000 cubic metre will be asphalt. The dam's spillway will consist of 21 gates and will have a maximum discharge of 82000 m3/s. The dam's power station will contain 44 x 75 MW Kaplan bulb turbines
Kaplan turbine
The Kaplan turbine is a propeller-type water turbine which has adjustable blades. It was developed in 1913 by the Austrian professor Viktor Kaplan, who combined automatically adjusted propeller blades with automatically adjusted wicket gates to achieve efficiency over a wide range of flow and...
for a total installed capacity of 3,300 MW. The reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
created by the dam will have a surface area of 258 square kilometre of which 135 square kilometre is the original riverbed. Bulb turbines are a variation of the Kaplan turbine, with the main differences being that bulb turbines are installed horizontally and are generally considered to be slightly more efficient. The power plant is being constructed by the French utility GDF Suez SA and Brazilian company Camargo Correa SA.
Impacts
Brazilian law requires water impoundments to undergo a very thorough approval process to ensure that each project meets environmental, social, political, and safety criteria. However, critics of the Jirau and Santo Antonio dam claim that many legal criteria were rubber-stamped before all questions from impacted groups had been addressed. The dam's social impacts received the majority of substantive criticism (see below). However, environmental groups noted that the fast track approval for the Madeira dams sets a dangerous precedent. Brazilian law allows for expedited licensing for eco-friendly projects described by the Worldwatch institute as "kindler, gentler dams with smaller reservoirs, designed to lessen social and environmental impacts." The Worldwatch institute insists that no project should "fast-track the licensing of new dams in Amazonia and allow projects to circumvent Brazil's tough environmental laws".Social
The most frequent objection is that the dam builders failed to adequately consult with indigenous peoples, as required by law. The Brazilian government indigenous protection foundation FUNAIFundação Nacional do Índio
Fundação Nacional do Índio or FUNAI is a Brazilian governmental protection agency for Indian interests and their culture.It was originally called the SPI and was founded by the Brazilian Marshal Cândido Rondon in 1910, who also created the agency's motto, "Die if necessary, but never kill." The...
predicts that there may be un-contacted indigenous populations in the region that will be affected by the Madeira complex. Most of the affected populations are nearest to the Jirau dam. The threat to uncontacted indians has motivated both internal and external criticism of GDF Suez, the contractor responsible for building the Jirau dam. A coalition of non governmental organizations called for dam construction to be halted, and questions were raised during annual meeting of GDF Suez.
Environmental
Because both the Jirau and Santo Antonio dams are run-of-the-river projects, neither dam impounds a large reservoir. Both dams also feature significant environmental re-mediation efforts. As a consequence, there has not been strong environmental opposition to the implementation of the Madeira river complex. However, critics point out that if the fish ladders fail, "several valuable migratory fish species could suffer near-extinction as a result of the Madeira dams."Labor
Construction on the dam was halted on March 18, 2011 as workers rioted; setting fire to buses and destroying part of the worker housing. Wages and the treatment by security officials was attributed to the rioting. Additional security personal had to be sent to the site and construction was halted.Opportunities for Bolivia
Bolivia has been a landlocked country since it lost its coastline to Chile in the war of the pacificWar of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
in 1884. Many Bolivians feel a deep and lasting bitterness due to this loss, and the Bolivian military continues to build and maintain an open ocean navy in Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world...
, awaiting an eventual recovery of access to the sea. The Madeira river complex presents an opportunity for Bolivia because all of the hydroelectric dams would feature ship locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
capable of raising and lowering ocean going vessels. If the project is completed, "more than 4,000 km of waterways upstream from the dams in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru would become navigable."
Hence, if the project is completed, both Bolivian commercial vessels and the Bolivian navy would have access to the open ocean, and lucrative sea lanes, for the first time in 120 years.