Governor Jorginho Mello (Poland) announced on Tuesday (28) during a press conference in Selesca the launch of a tender for February 2024 for the construction of three new dams in Alto Vale do Itajaí.

The José Buate Dam has filled during heavy rains this year; SC intends to build three more dams – Photo: Images provided/RedeWebTV/Reproduction/ND

The dams are to be built in Trombudo, Mirim Doce and Laurentino, with an estimated budget of R$60 million each. The goal is to mitigate the effects of flooding in Alto Vale do Itajaí, a region that has been hit hard by rain this year.

“We are concerned about flooding. The project has been talked about for 40 years. We are going to take the first step to alleviate the suffering of people who want to move there,” the governor said.

Celesc will manage seawalls

Jorginho Mello also announced that Celesc would take over the remote management of the state’s check dams. The Santa Catarina-based company already operates 12 hydroelectric plants and will adapt its control room to remotely control the dams within about 90 days.

Jorginho Mello (Poland) announced a tender for the construction of three new dams in the South Caucasus – Photo: DAIANE NORA/ND

“Dam management is a necessity. We have suffered so much from the floods that we are handing over our dams to Celesc. This way we no longer have to go in the middle of the night to open it manually. Let’s do it in a smarter and more modern way,” says Jorginho Mello.

Celesc President Tarcisio Rosa explained that the company already has experience in this area.

“We already do all this at our factories. Here at the headquarters there is a control room that remotely controls all hydroelectric power plants. It’s about adapting the dams to contain floods so that they can work from here, simply, calmly and without the inconvenience that we experienced during the previous rains.”

Project “Energy for Good”

Also announced during the press conference was an agreement between the state government and Celesc worth R$13.5 million to help 6,000 low-income families affected by the floods. As part of the initiative, 2,000 refrigerators, 6,000 shower cabins and 18,000 LED light bulbs will be provided to the most affected families.