Green light for dam in Amazon

Brazil has granted the environmental license to build the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam on the Xingu River, a tributary to the Amazon, in the northern state of Pará. Construction is expected to start in 2015. 

Heavily protested by both indigenous peoples and environmentalists, the dam will be the third largest in the world and may produce 11 gigawatts of electric power. To protect the environment and for nearby locals, the government is requiring an offset fund of $830 million from the company building the dam.