Energy project fails to consult quilombola communities

In Minas Gerais, Brazil, the Grande Sertão II Transmissora de Energia began preparations for a large-scale power line project without first contacting the quilombolas, descendants of escaped slaves, who live in the affected areas.

These communities, certified by the Cultural Palmares Foundation in 2022, depend on rainwater harvesting and are already struggling with water scarcity due to eucalyptus plantations that drain the land.

The project, a 500-kilovolt transmission line estimated to cost 2.6 billion reais (approximately $510 million USD), requires a 70-meter wide path across 39 municipalities. The state environmental foundation issued a license for the project in June 2026 without conducting the Free, Prior, and Informed Consultation (CLPI) guaranteed to these communities by Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization.

The Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária (Incra), the agency responsible for initial contact, admitted in writing that it failed to reach out to the quilombolas before the licensing process began. Instead, the project’s contracted consultancy, Griô Socioambiental, initiated contact, effectively taking on a state responsibility. Residents report the consultancy attempted to negotiate directly with individuals, offering financial compensation and downplaying potential negative impacts. This approach undermined the communities’ collective decision-making processes.

Incra formally acknowledged its failures in July 2026, admitting it hadn't contacted the communities and that the consultancy had initiated contact on its own. Researchers from the Federal University of West Bahia have documented a pattern of selective action by public agencies that create delays and omissions, favoring projects over community protection, contributing to what they call “institutional insecurity.”