Brazilian president inaugurates first turbines at key hydroelectric plant

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday inaugurated the first two turbines with a capacity to produce 649.9 MW of electricity at the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant in the northern state of Para.

Rousseff hailed the importance of the plant on the Xingu river for guaranteeing the country's energy security, saying it will have a large impact on the country's development.

Once fully completed in 2019, Belo Monte will be the largest hydroelectric plant in Brazil and the fourth largest in the world, with an installed capacity of 11,200 MW, capable of generating energy for 60 million people across 17 states.

"Belo Monte is a development project for the entire country, especially the north. Its energy generation will be from sustainable sources and less polluting than those used in developed countries," Rousseff said.

The building of the plant has generated 20,000 direct jobs and 40,000 indirect jobs in the region, according to government data.

The Norte Energia consortium, made up of 18 companies, won a tender in April 2015 to exploit the plant's generated energy for 35 years. Endi