Among its social actions, and in partnership with the local authorities, the Consortium is planning on carrying out urban infrastructure work and constructing schools and community health centers, in addition to implementing a program for reconstructing the road infrastructure and electricity transmission lines in the affected region.
CESTE is committed to an open communication policy with the whole community that will be affected by the undertaking. The Estreito Energy Consortium believes it is necessary to try and understand the concerns and expectations of the local population and to incorporate solutions for bringing about improvements in the quality of life of the people into the project.
Social Agreement CESTE, along with the government, is developing a Social Agreement that seeks to implement social programs for promoting regional development and improving the quality of life in the 12 municipalities that fall into the area of influence of the undertaking. The main objectives of the social agreement are:
The identification and definition of the limits of liability of the stakeholders (developer, governments, etc), thus guaranteeing the sustainable implementation of this project that is of national interest;
To guarantee the regional development which will result from the hydroelectric undertaking in a planned and harmonious way:
To create and sustain a positive perception of the undertaking vis-à-vis public opinion and other stakeholders.
This hitherto unheard of agreement will allow municipal and regional demands to be discussed with the government at all levels (Federal, State and Municipal), thereby seeking to define the responsibilities and commitments for the socio-economic development of the region’s municipalities that will be affected by the undertaking. Of the 12 municipalities that come under the project’s direct area of influence, 10 have already signed the Social Agreement with CESTE.
Commitments are being signed in the areas of education, health and public security with the States of Maranhão and Tocantins (Social Agreement, level 2),.
Benefits for the population
The construction of the Estreito Hydroelectric Power Station will be of benefit to local communities. In the 12 municipalities located around the area to be occupied by the power station’s future reservoir programs are being introduced for promoting environmental education, resettlement, support for production activities, reurbanization, archaeological rescue and preservation and valuing the cultural heritage, in addition to improving the infrastructure for meeting the health and well-being needs of the local population.
New leisure structures (beaches)
Improvements in local infrastructure
Resources for the Environmental Conservation Units
Research in the archaeological area
Technical assistance for family farming
Investments by developers and the government in regional growth
Improvements in the quality of life of the local population
Training the local labor force In order to favor the hiring of local labor and improve the qualification levels of the region’s local inhabitants the Estreito Hydroelectric Power Station, in partnership with the National Industrial Apprenticeship Service (Senai) is offering technical courses aimed at meeting the demand for professionals arising from the construction work.
Structural steel assemblers, mold carpenters, bricklayers and masons, water and sewage installation workers, electricians, painters, welders, IT workers, carpenters and secretaries are just some of the examples of the courses being offered to the population. In all, in 2007 the activity trained more than 800 young people and adults from the region. In 2008 a new cycle of courses is planned to train more than 500 workers.
Resettling the population In order to make it possible to construct the hydroelectric power station and form its reservoir, houses, farms and land will be purchased by the undertaking. The Population Resettlement Plan sets out the process for moving the families to other locations, while respecting the relationships the communities have with the land and with their economic activities.
The families and establishments that are included in CESTE’s Socio-economic Register can choose one of several types of negotiation: compensation, a letter of credit, rural or urban resettlement, depending on the classification of each
target-public.
