A technical opinion from Ibama threw uncertainties into the final stretch of the licensing process for Porto Sul da Bahia, a port megacomplex located in Ilhéus, which foresees investments of R$ 3 billion in two large terminals. The opinion, signed by nine analysts from the federal agency, concludes that only half of the socio-environmental conditions established in the preliminary license have been effectively fulfilled so far and puts in doubt the release for the beginning of the works.
The first license, attesting to the environmental viability of the undertaking, was issued at the end of 2012. It defined 14 requirements that must be met in order to obtain the installation license (LI). It is this second document that allows the construction of the port in earnest. The government of Bahia, responsible for the project, says it has already fulfilled all the requirements. Last month, therefore, he filed a formal LI request with Ibama. For the autarchy analysts, however, this work was literally half done.
The opinion, dated August 18, considers that seven conditions were met and three were not met. Another four constraints would have advanced only “partially”. “In order to enable a conclusive statement for the issuance of the LI”, according to the 130-page report, “it is recommended that the pendencies indicated throughout the opinion be dealt with by the entrepreneur and forwarded to Ibama for evaluation”. As the analysts themselves state, this is not a final position and much less irreversible, but it demonstrates that the controversy surrounding the Porto Sul da Bahia is still far from over.
The development is located in a preserved region of the Atlantic Forest and with strong tourist appeal. It has the support of a significant part of the local population, but faces opposition from environmental groups. The location of the port complex, originally planned for Ponta da Tulha (south of Ilhéus), had to change due to the potential impact on indigenous communities. Faced with pressure, he went to Aritaguá, an estuary north of the city.
Porto Sul will be able to move up to 100 million tons in the 25th year of operation. He already had authorization from the Secretariat of Ports. Two neighboring terminals are planned. One is from Bahia Mineração, which mines iron ore in the municipality of Caetité and intends to transport its production through the West-East Integration Railway (Fiol), whose route ends in Ilhéus. The railroad is late.
The other terminal will be explored, in a condominium system, by companies selected by the government of Bahia. It can involve moving ore, grain, and even containers. A call notice for interested parties should be released next week.
In the opinion, Ibama technicians point out doubts about the disposal of effluents and the alleged delay in the plan for adapting the infrastructure around the port. They also claim that they have not received the right to use water resources for the project. Apparently, these are issues that do not threaten the development itself, but could jeopardize the plans to carry out works this year.
Eracy Lafuente, coordinator for monitoring infrastructure policies in the government of Bahia, downplays the licensing problems and said he sent answers to Ibama yesterday. According to him, there are documents not mentioned by the opinion that are already included in the studies sent, such as the infrastructure plan in the surroundings and the construction of a new hospital. “We are not asking for any compromise or minor effort. The role of the environmental analyst is to demand a lot from the entrepreneur, but we have already presented what was requested.”
38 basic environmental programs were designed to meet the conditions and obtain the LI. “You can demand one or another complement of the programs. But, in general terms, the conditions of the prior license were met. We have been absolutely transparent in demonstrating our plans”, says the coordinator.
Source: Valor Econômico
By: Daniel Rittner
