Belo Monte Dam Project

The Belo Monte Dam Project was a large hydroelectric scheme on the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon, built between 2011 and 2019 by a consortium led by the state-linked Norte Energia company after decades of delay tied to environmental and indigenous rights opposition. The project diverts much of the Xingu's flow through an artificial canal to a main powerhouse, a design intended to reduce the size of the flooded reservoir compared with earlier proposals. It became one of the most contested infrastructure projects in Brazilian history, the subject of sustained protest from indigenous and riverine communities over its effects on the river's flow and local livelihoods.