According to the analysis presented in this Spanish-language blog post by Fundacion Solon, the total cost of the Chepete and El Bala mega-dams plus the transmission line to Brazil, according to the environmental records, would be over 9,000 million dollars—essentially doubling Bolivia’s national debt.
Geodata’s estimate of the cost of generating electricity by the planned mega-dam El Bala is $81 per MW/h—much higher than the current cost of electricity for Brazil of 52 MW/h. Geodata therefore recommended that the development of the El Bala 220 hydroelectric power plant be postponed, until the conditions of the energy market in Bolivia and abroad indicate the convenience of its implementation ”.