Angosto del Bala
Angosto del Bala is a narrowing of the river bed through which the Río Beni flows. It is a maximum of 60 meters wide and is located about 16 kilometers upstream from the town of Rurrenabaque in the Beni department ( Bolivia ).
The government of Evo Morales intends to build a large hydroelectric power station there, for which over 300,000 hectares of land would be flooded. The Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve would also be affected . In 2015, a specialized company from Italy was commissioned with the technical planning, the results of which were presented in 2016. The capacity is to reach 3,676 megawatts, which corresponds to several large thermal power plants . The technical installations of the primary power plant are to be built in the province of Franz Tamayo , with the electricity generated flowing into the power grid of the capital La Paz . A secondary power plant is planned at Angosto del Bala. The estimated investment amount is 6 billion US dollars.
In addition to the income from energy generation, further positive effects are expected. Firstly, the natural gas reserves can be used for other purposes, secondly, floods in the lowlands ( Moxos plain ) can be effectively prevented or reduced, and thirdly, an increase in ecotourism is expected through the improvement of inland shipping , combined with sustainable development of the region.
The project is also part of the national strategy to develop Bolivia into a major energy producer and exporter in South America .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ministerio de Hidrocarburos, 07/27/2016 ( Memento of the original from August 23, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Ministerio de Trabajo, accessed on August 23, 2017
Coordinates: 14 ° 32 ′ 44 ″ S , 67 ° 29 ′ 55 ″ W.