Senator Sibá Machado (PT-AC) praised on Tuesday (12) the approval given by Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) for Environmental Impact Studies and the Report on Environmental Impact (EIA-Rima) regarding Madeira river power plants in Rondônia state.

He said that issues in the construction of Santo Antonio and Girau power plants halted the building for years. In addition he said that only now Ibama has realized that rules regarding environment and local people are being followed.

According to Sibá, the expected project’s budget is R$ 20 billion and will take from six to eight years to be finished. He also said power potential of these plants is over 6 thousand megawatts. He believes that once issues in Belo Monte power plant and gas pipelines are solved, the Amazon region will be able to provide from 11 thousand to 12 thousand megawatts extra power.

After pointing out Madeira river power plant, Sibá claimed for opportunities for Acre, which, differently from Rondônia, Amazonas and Pará states, doesn’t have hydraulic strength, potential for tourism nor precious minerals.