Itapebi
Itapebi Geração de Energia, a company in which the Neoenergia Group holds 100% participation, is responsible for the implementation and operation of the Itapebi Hydroelectric Power Plant (UHE), located on the lower reaches of the Jequitinhonha River, on the border of the States of Bahia and Minas Gerais, in the municipalities of Itapebi/BA, Itarantim/BA, Itagimirim/BA and Salto da Divisa/MG.
The power plant is of the medium-sized waterline type, with an installed capacity of 462 MW and has three 154 MW generating units and guaranteed energy of an average of 209.10 MW (1.88 million MWh/year of energy), its reservoir has an area of 62.48 km² and its dam is 620 meters long and 106 meters wide.
The power plant is of the medium-sized waterline type, with an installed capacity of 462 MW and has three 154 MW generating units and guaranteed energy of an average of 209.10 MW (1.88 million MWh/year of energy), its reservoir has an area of 62.48 km² and its dam is 620 meters long and 106 meters wide.
History of the venture
The construction of the Itapebi HPP was started in 1999 by NeoEnergia. Four years later, in February 2003, the hydroelectric plant started operating.
Investment
The Itapebi HPP received an investment of R$ 550 million. Of this amount, 30% originated from own resources and 70% from third parties.
Environment
Because it is located in a federally controlled river, the Itapebi HPP is licensed by the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Resources (IBAMA). The agency monitors compliance with environmental legislation and determines what actions must be taken to guarantee the preservation and conservation of environmental assets, periodically monitoring the execution of Environmental Programs.
The plant carries out 12 environmental programs, as required by the Operating License — LO No. 291/2002 issued on December 12, 2002 and are inspected by IBAMA, namely:
The Aquatic Ecosystem Monitoring Program - PMEA consists of two subprograms that are evaluated in an integrated manner, namely the Ecological Monitoring Subprogram and the Water Quality Monitoring Subprogram.
The monitoring of the aquatic ecosystem in the Jequitinhonha River, in the area of influence of the Itapebi HPP, began in the phase of obtaining the Installation License, at the end of the 90s, and was carried out until 2011 through the Ichthyofauna Monitoring, Limnological Monitoring and Water Quality Monitoring Programs.
The monitoring of the aquatic ecosystem in the Jequitinhonha River, in the area of influence of the Itapebi HPP, began in the phase of obtaining the Installation License, at the end of the 90s, and was carried out until 2011 through the Ichthyofauna Monitoring, Limnological Monitoring and Water Quality Monitoring Programs.
The main objective of the Program for the Recovery of Degraded Areas - PRAD is to promote the recovery of vegetation and the awareness of the surrounding population, with a view to publicizing the importance of the program and the preservation of areas under recovery.
With the filling of the reservoir, between 2002 and 2003, 17 islands were formed from portions of land remaining from the farms acquired by Itapebi. PRAD, together with the Island Monitoring Program and APPs, is responsible for recovering the vegetation of these islands.
With the filling of the reservoir, between 2002 and 2003, 17 islands were formed from portions of land remaining from the farms acquired by Itapebi. PRAD, together with the Island Monitoring Program and APPs, is responsible for recovering the vegetation of these islands.
The purpose of the Islands and APPs Monitoring Program is to identify activities or actions that can contribute to mitigating negative impacts on the Islands and APPs surrounding the reservoir through periodic surveillance and inspection in these areas.
The implementation of the program will be adopted as a mechanism to establish criteria and guidelines for inspections, to curb irregularities on the islands and APP, in order to contribute to the preservation of existing fragments and the development of vegetation, if possible on the banks and islands of the Itapebi HPP reservoir.
The implementation of the program will be adopted as a mechanism to establish criteria and guidelines for inspections, to curb irregularities on the islands and APP, in order to contribute to the preservation of existing fragments and the development of vegetation, if possible on the banks and islands of the Itapebi HPP reservoir.
The Erosive Process Monitoring and Control Program aims to identify the areas of occurrence of erosive processes in order to define monitoring measures for the most critical areas, as well as their control in cases of occurrences located in areas owned by the Itapebi HPP. In addition to preventing the formation of new erosive foci.
Sediment deposition is one of the main causes of loss of efficiency and paralysis of hydroelectric plants, either due to a reduction in the volume of regulation, or because of the obstruction of the water supply.
Thus, the general objective of the Hydrosedimentological Monitoring Program is to provide information on the supply and deposition of sediments in the reservoir, through the identification of the main sources of these sediments and the identification of sites of significant deposition in the reservoir, expanding the available database and deepening knowledge about sedimentological behavior under current conditions.
Thus, the general objective of the Hydrosedimentological Monitoring Program is to provide information on the supply and deposition of sediments in the reservoir, through the identification of the main sources of these sediments and the identification of sites of significant deposition in the reservoir, expanding the available database and deepening knowledge about sedimentological behavior under current conditions.
The purpose of the Seismological Monitoring Program at the Itapebi HPP is to record and characterize natural seismic events and those induced by the plant reservoir during the operation phase of the project, in order to verify the existence of a relationship between the results of the monitoring and possible events related to the erosive processes surrounding the reservoir.
The purpose of the Hydrogeological Monitoring Program is to monitor hydrogeological issues surrounding the reservoir of the Itapebi HPP, specifically in the city of Salto da Divisa, and to verify the possible socio-environmental effects produced by the supposed change in the water level of the groundwater table in the region studied from before the construction of the Itapebi HPP reservoir until now.
The Aquatic Macrophyte Monitoring and Control Program aims to monitor the dynamics of macrophyte growth in the reservoir of the Itapebi HPP, with an emphasis on the two most critical areas surrounding the city of Salto da Divisa and in the Cotinguiba and Barriguda streams. In addition to controlling and removing macrophytes in a preventive manner to prevent banks from compromising the multiple uses of the reservoir.
As specific objectives, the program aims to:
As specific objectives, the program aims to:
- Understand the dynamics of macrophyte proliferation, with the goal of carrying out qualitative and quantitative evaluations in order to verify the variation in the macrophyte occupancy rate in different sectors of the reservoir during each campaign.
- Minimize the impacts that exist today in relation to the presence of macrophytes, with the goal of control through mechanical removal
- Use the removed macrophytes, with the goal of using the macrophytes for soil enrichment in areas of environmental recovery
The Environmental Education Program aims to promote teaching-learning processes with the participation of social groups from AID at UHE Itapebi to plan, implement, and monitor Environmental Education Projects that consider local aspects and impacts generated by the project.
Environmental education projects involve a set of pedagogical activities developed in partnership with local social groups that seek social and/or environmental transformations in the territory.
Projects must follow two lines of action:
To access Environmental Education Program materials, click here.
Environmental education projects involve a set of pedagogical activities developed in partnership with local social groups that seek social and/or environmental transformations in the territory.
Projects must follow two lines of action:
- Line of Action A: strengthen community organization to participate and strengthen social control in the context of public environmental management;
- Action Line B: projects to be executed based on the priority agenda presented by the group and related to the impacts generated by the enterprise.
To access Environmental Education Program materials, click here.
The general objective of the Social Communication Program is to strengthen the open channel of dialogue between community and company, strengthening the link between local social groups and the enterprise. At UHE Itapebi, this Program has been developed since its implementation. In this way, it is necessary to continue the dialogue already established, always trying to deepen it and guarantee the improvement of the processes.
Contact Channels
Ombudsman: For questions, suggestions, complaints or compliments, contact us by phone 0800 025 3565 or by e-mail comunicacaoitapebi@draxos.com.
Contact Us: To speak directly with the PCS and PEA staff, contact us at (33) 99804-1064 (WhatsApp).
Contact Channels
Ombudsman: For questions, suggestions, complaints or compliments, contact us by phone 0800 025 3565 or by e-mail comunicacaoitapebi@draxos.com.
Contact Us: To speak directly with the PCS and PEA staff, contact us at (33) 99804-1064 (WhatsApp).
The main objective of the Salto da Divisa/MG Basic Sanitation Adequacy Program is to support the City Hall to fully operate the sewage system through the execution of the 3 steps below:
The first stage of the Program was concluded with the implementation of the domestic sewage collection system that is dumped directly into the Lava-Pés Stream. The 2nd and 3rd stages will be held together, scheduled to start in 2022.
The Salto da Divisa Sewage Treatment Plant was designed to serve 7,235 inhabitants (year 2030). The design of the project divides the station into two reservoirs. First, the liquid is directed to an optional pond, which, through a biological treatment system, stabilizes the organic matter, and after this previous treatment, the liquid goes to a maturation pond, which allows the effluent to be polished by removing its pathogens, for subsequent return to the Jequitinhonha River.
- Stage 01: Implementation of a sewage collection system in homes that are currently being launched into the Lava-Pés stream for the correct disposal of the effluent;
- Stage 02: Improvements in the operation of the sewage treatment system (ETE and Pumping Stations);
- Stage 03: Carrying out cleaning services, replacing railings in the piped region, and clearing the mouth of the Lava-Pés Stream.
The first stage of the Program was concluded with the implementation of the domestic sewage collection system that is dumped directly into the Lava-Pés Stream. The 2nd and 3rd stages will be held together, scheduled to start in 2022.
The Salto da Divisa Sewage Treatment Plant was designed to serve 7,235 inhabitants (year 2030). The design of the project divides the station into two reservoirs. First, the liquid is directed to an optional pond, which, through a biological treatment system, stabilizes the organic matter, and after this previous treatment, the liquid goes to a maturation pond, which allows the effluent to be polished by removing its pathogens, for subsequent return to the Jequitinhonha River.
The Damaged Housing Adaptation Program in Salto da Divisa/MG has been running since 2013 with the objective of promoting repair/reconstruction interventions in buildings with faults located within 100 (one hundred) meters of the reservoir of the Itapebi HPP and the Lava-Pés stream, in the municipality of Salto da Divisa/MG.
Who can receive the renovation/reconstruction?
The target audience of this program is the owners of non-judicialized properties, since the company is not allowed to contact the owners who have related legal proceedings, until such cases are dismissed.
How is the monitoring of legal proceedings carried out?
The legal team at UHE Itapebi frequently monitors the progress of processes related to properties in Salto da Divisa. When their completion is identified, the Itapebi HPP will comply with the court decision. In cases where there is no conviction from the company, the Itapebi HPP will contact the owner to verify the interest in receiving the renovation/reconstruction.
Owners who wish to carry out the works, but have active lawsuits against the Itapebi HPP, must contact their lawyers to request the withdrawal of the action. After that, they must contact the Social Communication Program team, through the communication channels provided at the end of this newsletter, and express their interest in the execution of the works
How are houses chosen for renovations/reconstruction?
The construction of the works follows a logic of priority: the properties of the owners who have had no legal proceedings since the beginning of the Program and who had demonstrated an interest in the reforms were renovated initially. Then, the properties with less complex and even the most complex breakdowns will be renovated, located in the 100m polygon, so that the owners show interest in the works and have no active legal proceedings.
Who can receive the renovation/reconstruction?
The target audience of this program is the owners of non-judicialized properties, since the company is not allowed to contact the owners who have related legal proceedings, until such cases are dismissed.
How is the monitoring of legal proceedings carried out?
The legal team at UHE Itapebi frequently monitors the progress of processes related to properties in Salto da Divisa. When their completion is identified, the Itapebi HPP will comply with the court decision. In cases where there is no conviction from the company, the Itapebi HPP will contact the owner to verify the interest in receiving the renovation/reconstruction.
Owners who wish to carry out the works, but have active lawsuits against the Itapebi HPP, must contact their lawyers to request the withdrawal of the action. After that, they must contact the Social Communication Program team, through the communication channels provided at the end of this newsletter, and express their interest in the execution of the works
How are houses chosen for renovations/reconstruction?
The construction of the works follows a logic of priority: the properties of the owners who have had no legal proceedings since the beginning of the Program and who had demonstrated an interest in the reforms were renovated initially. Then, the properties with less complex and even the most complex breakdowns will be renovated, located in the 100m polygon, so that the owners show interest in the works and have no active legal proceedings.
