The Brazilian state of Espírito Santo is home to the Francisco Gros hydropower plant, owned and operated by Statkraft since January 2019.

Around four thousand people live in the area surrounding the power facility. The inhabitants said they had not experienced rain and flooding of this magnitude in 40 years.

The water rose high enough to cover entire houses, sparking concerns across the community about what would happen if the dam at Francisco Gros failed.

It was an extremely urgent situation, and Statkraft, which at the time was relatively newly established in the community, had to take it very seriously.

“We activated our emergency response plan and switched quickly into emergency mode,” says Liandra Pellegrini, HR Director for Statkraft Brazil.

“Our first move was to evacuate the Francisco Gros facility. Then we hired a helicopter to monitor the dam and continually assess damage and the risk of collapse. After informing the community about the emergency situation, we asked them to evacuate the area.”

The local inhabitants grew increasingly concerned about the power plant’s dam; they  worried it might collapse and cause further damage and create even more despair.

Statkraft was largely unknown to the local population at that time, having taken over responsibility for the hydropower facility less than one year before.

Statkraft continued to monitor the dam throughout the storm and heavy rainfall and initiated an open dialogue with the local authorities and the community to keep them informed of the situation.

Stand firm in the storm

Once it was determined that the dam was at no risk of collapsing, the Statkraft team immediately notified the workers and local inhabitants that it was safe to return.

“We stayed focused on three things throughout this crisis,” says Liandra Pellegrini.

“First, we prioritised the people and the community and how we could help them. Second, we focused on the dam, analysing the situation and planning for various scenarios. And third, we worked to maintain a strong channel of communication with the media and the authorities.”

“Our next move was to ensure that the surrounding community had enough supplies and drinking water,” she says.

Pellegrini admits that the open contact and dialogue between Statkraft and the community was a challenge.

People were angry, confused, and scared.

“Our job at that time was to show that we were taking responsibility, taking care of people, and protecting life and the environment as best we could,” she adds.

The dam held, despite the record amounts of rainfall and enormous amounts of water and sludge.

In the months following the crisis, Statkraft focused on rebuilding both the plant’s infrastructure and its relationship with the community.

They hired more than 20 companies to support the recovery efforts, mobilizing hundreds of people in the process.

“Our focus is threefold: social issues, education and information. We aim to have close contact with the community and establish a partnership with them. We want them to know that we are a company with whom they can cooperate, a company that adds value instead of posing a threat,” says Pellegrini.

Important lesson

Statkraft has successfully implemented a new warning system for dam safety, and working on rebuilding and further securing the dam at the Francisco Gros power plant.

Liandra Pellegrini adds that this crisis served as an invaluable learning experience for the company.

“After this experience, I believe we are more prepared for whatever may come,” she says.

"It was a crisis in every sense of the word, and we learned from it. We will continue to take action, step by step, to be a good member of the communities where we are present.”

Visit Statkraft's country site for Brazil