File number: brhh0023

© South American Pictures/ Tony Morrison

Brazil: Pará state: The Tucuruí Dam on the River Tocantins was built to supply energy to the Carajás mining operation and other industrial projects. It is 12 kms long and has a capacity of generating 8000 megawatts a year. It was the first large dam built in a tropical rainforest, and its 4000 sq km reservoir is the fourth largest man-made lake ever built. The social and environmental impact of the dam on the Amazon rainforest and its people have been widely criticised.