Dam · Brazil

How much did Belo Monte Dam cost?

Belo Monte is a hydroelectric complex on the Xingu River in Par?, Brazil, built around the Belo Monte and Pimental powerhouses. Construction began in 2011. The first generating units entered commercial service in 2016; the eighteenth unit at the main powerhouse was cleared for commercial operation in November 2019, bringing total installed capacity to 11,233.1 MW. The Belo Monte dam itself is about 90 m high and 3,545 m long; those dimensions do not describe the entire multi-dam complex. A Brazilian energy-ministry report estimated total investment at R$42 billion shortly before full commissioning in 2019, while a later operator presentation reported R$46.7 billion of total investment including capitalized construction interest and provisions. These different-year, different-basis figures should not be added together, and neither includes a separate blanket price for the long-distance transmission lines.