Brazil's Amapá power line faces suspension as ministries assess licenses

On July 20, Brazil's Attorney General's Office (AGU) ordered the ministries of Environment, Mines and Energy, and Racial Equality to submit technical opinions on the licensing of a 230 kV transmission line linking the Laranjal do Jari and Macapá III substations in the state of Amapá.

The request follows a July 13 filing by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) that asked a court to suspend the line and annul the prior and installation licenses issued by IBAMA to Transmissora Amapar II SPE S.A., citing lack of prior consultation with at least four quilombola communities and potential irreversible environmental damage to the Rio Cajari Extractive Reserve.

The MPF also demanded a halt to any construction, clearing or vegetation removal inside the conservation unit and within the zones surrounding the affected communities while the legal process proceeds. AGU gave the ministries ten days to present their analyses.