BRASILIA, Brazil, April 17 (UPI) -- A Brazilian court has overturned a ruling that could have delayed a huge Amazon dam environmentalists and indigenous groups vehemently oppose.
The ruling means bidding can proceed next week for contracts to build the Belo Monte dam, which would become the world's third largest, on the River Xingu in northeast Brazil, the BBC reported.
Critics say the dam would displace tens of thousands of people and devastate a large portion of the rain forest, while the government argues the dam would spur economic development.
"The battle is not over," the group Amazon Watch said. "We are committed to supporting Brazilian indigenous peoples who have vowed to fight to stop the Belo Monte dam. This dam is one of the most destructive projects ever undertaken in the Amazon."
The proposed hydro-electric dam on the Xingu, a tributary of the Amazon, had been abandoned in the 1990s amid protests in Brazil and well beyond.
Brazil officials say the company that is awarded the project would have to pay $800 million to protect the environment.
The dam would provide electricity to 23 million Brazilian homes, officials said.
