In this article, Thomas Graham writes about the three major dam complexes (Chepete-El Bala, Rio Madera, and Rositas) currently in development in Bolivia, a country whose famed altitude differences comprise a geography that is seemingly perfect for harvesting hydroelectric power. Why, then, will these new dams be built in flat areas, on land that would displace constitutionally-protected indigenous people, and offer only dubious economic returns? Graham looks at the different factors — from Evo Morales’s political ambitions to the introduction of Chinese credit — that have fueled these controversial developments in Bolivia, suggesting that these dams are really just the gateway to something far bigger and more serious: opening up the Bolivian Amazon for business.
The Dirty Business Behind Bolivia’s Clean Energy Plans