Commitment to the community

Among its social actions the consortium, in a partnership with the public authorities, is planning on undertaking urban infrastructure building work and constructing schools and health centers, in addition to setting up a road infrastructure and power transmission systems’ reconstruction program of the for the affected region.

The Consortium has concluded more than 280 construction jobs in the municipalities in the area it covers, including the reconstruction of bridges, local access roads, new stretches on federal, state and municipal highways and other social works and equipment, located in areas that will suffer interference from the undertaking’s future reservoir. This work has been agreed in a partnership with the town administrations, via the signing of Mutual Commitment Instruments (TCMs), the aim being to strengthen the services offered to the population in the health, education and public security areas and other sectors.

Among the work concluded in 2010, of particular prominence are the bridge over the Farinha River on the BR 230/010 highway, which links Estreito and Carolina (MA), as well as the construction of a health center and the expansion of a school in Aguiarnópolis (TO). In addition to the works already delivered, Ceste ha also donated ambulances and other vehicles.

Ceste is committed to having open communication with the whole of the community that will be affected by the undertaking. The Estreito Power Consortium believes it is necessary to try and understand the concerns and expectations of the local population, by introducing solutions for improving people’s quality of life.

An important social milestone that was reached in 2010 was the almost R$ 5 million agreement signed between Ceste and the Ministry of Fishing and Aquaculture for implementing the Integrated Complex for the Distribution, Processing and Beneficiation of Fishing Production in the region where the power plant is located, the aim being to benefit local fishermen.

At the beginning of 2010, the Consortium continued with the second stage of the “Ceste Social Power Plant” project that started in 2009. The project took citizenship, health, culture and leisure activities to the 12 municipalities directly affected by the undertaking. Developed through Sesi, in partnership with the town administrations, the “Ceste Social Power Plant” project recorded more than 500,000 acts of service in the 12 municipalities that have benefited from it.

Benefits for the population

Construction of the Estreito Hydroelectric Power Plant will bring improvements to local communities. Programs are being introduced in the 12 municipalities located around the future area of the reservoir and the power plant to promote environmental education, the relocation of and support for production activities, urban replanning, archaeological preservation and rescue and valuing the cultural heritage. This is in addition to promoting improvements in the health service infrastructure and to the well-being of the population.

• New leisure structures (beaches)
• Improvements in the local infrastructure
• Resources for the Environmental Conservation Units
• Research in the archaeological area
• Technical assistance for family farming
• Investments by entrepreneurs and the government in regional growth
• Improvements in the quality of life of the local population

Estreito Social Investment (ISE)

In June 2008, Alcoa and the National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES) signed a social pact for investing R$ 20 million in social projects in municipalities in the Estreito region. The following year the government obtained a commitment from other investors in Ceste to this social line of credit (“Subcrédito C”). After defining this agreement, which has become known as the Estreito Social Investment (ISE), it should invest approximately R$ 77 million in social projects between June 2011 and June 2013 in the 12 municipalities that fall within the area of influence of the power plant. These funds will be applied in the following strategic themes:

• Planning and territorial organization;
• Local public administration: improvements and modernization;
• Human resources education and development;
• Economic development;
• Infrastructure improvements.

Training local labor

To favor the hiring of local labor and improve the level of qualification of the residents, the Estreito power station, in a partnership with the National Industrial Apprenticeship Service (Senai), offers vocational technical courses aimed at meeting the needs of the construction job.

Qualification courses are offered the local population for such jobs as steel erector, mold carpenter, bricklayer, water and sewer pipe layer, building electrician, painter, welder, IT technician, boarding worker and secretary. Over the last three years the activity has provide more than 2000 young people and adults from the region with qualifications.

In order to serve the needs and demands of the thousands of workers of this enormous job the construction site has the structure of a town, with a sanitary waste disposal site, a sewage treatment station and selective waste collection, in addition to canteens, lodgings, first aid centers, socialization areas that provide the workers with a games room, a hairdresser, a clothes shop, a fitness center, a snack bar, a library, multisport courts, a school and a stage for shows.

Ceste has reason to be proud that the Productivity School has already taught 200 student-workers to read and educated them up to completion of their elementary education (1st to 5th years). A further 12 are doing the course currently.

Over and above this, in a partnership with Senai (MA) and forming part of the Young Apprentice Program of the Tocantins River Consortium (CRT), Administrative Routines and Basic Level Construction (steel erector, carpenter, bricklayer and electrician) courses were offered. In all, 54 workers concluded courses in 2010 and so far in 2011 a further 96 are attending lessons. Their ages vary from 18 to 65.

Resettling the population

To make it possible to build the hydroelectric power plant and form the reservoir, the development purchased houses, farms and land. The Population Resettlement Plan establishes how the process for moving families to other locations was carried out, while at the same time respecting the relationships the communities have with the land and with their economic activities.

The Population Resettlement Plan of the affected area was fully concluded in 2010, with 95% of the cases negotiated on a friendly basis. In all, more than 3000 properties were taken over and Ceste evaluated each case individually, including cases of families who were not owners of the property but who were living in the areas that had to be evaluated. The beneficiaries were kept fully informed of the options being offered by the Population Resettlement Plan and could choose between purchase, payment in cash, a rural or urban letter of credit for acquiring another property chosen by the beneficiary, rural or urban resettlement or an urban lot of land.

Six rural and one urban collective resettlement sites were built.