Belo Monte Dam project: an outline

The Belo Monte Dam is a hydroelectric dam under construction in the state of Pará, Brazil. Upon completion, with a generating capacity of 11 233 Megawatts, it will be the third largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. The project faces widespread criticism on economic, environmental and social reasons. Commercial generation is expected to begin in 2015, with the whole plant scheduled to run at full capacity in 2019.