Inquiry letter sent to Sumitomo Corp. on their involvment in the mega dam project in Mozambique
Press release
Tokyo/Maputo – 30th October 2024,
Today, Justiça Ambiental JA! (Friends of the Earth Mozambique) , Friends of the Earth Japan, and CCFD-Terre Solidaire jointly sent an inquiry to Sumitomo Corporation on their involvement in Mphanda Nkuwa mega hydropower dam project in Mozambique. In December 2023, Sumitomo Corporation announced as part of a consortium with EDF and TotalEnergies to develop this destructive mega-dam project.
The Mphanda Nkuwa dam project itself is not new but very controversial and has failed many times. Local communities have been voicing their concerns and opposition to the project over decades, while civil society organisations, scientists and scholars have pointed numerous flaws and weaknesses of previous studies, and raised serious concerns related to the project.
Anabela Lemos, board director of Justiça Ambiental JA! (Friends of the Earth Mozambique) says ‘Over the decades, we raised the concerns over the dam including the risks of seismic activities around the planned dam site, cumulative impacts on the land and biodiversity, and loss of livelihood of communities. Sumitomo should review their involvement in this destructive project while it’s still time, and take our letter seriously.’
Ayumi Fukakusa, Deputy Executive Director of FoE Japan says, ‘There is a misconception that dams can contribute to decarbonization and solve the climate crisis. Dams cause enormous damage to the river ecosystem and biodiversity and cause serious impacts on the local communities that depend on that river for their lives. Sumitomo Corporation claims dams are renewable energy but they should not call the large hydro renewable energy as they are highly unsustainable and destructive.’
Clara Alibert, Advocacy Officer from CCFD-Terre Solidaire says “The Paris Court of Appeal has upheld the legal action brought by Mexican indigenous community Unión Hidalgo against French energy giant EDF for the violation of the FPIC. The Court has also clarified the crucial steps concerning access to justice for future cases under the law on corporate duty of vigilance. Sumitomo as part of the consortium should be aware of that too”.
Note to reporters
- You can read the inquiry letter here. We can share the additional materials including the reports mentioned in the letter and EIA analysis upon requests.
- Concerning TotalEnergies, the other consortium partner, Politico published an article by independent journalist Alex Perry that reveals information about an alleged massacre of civilians, reported to have been committed near TotalEnergies’ premises in mid 2021 by Mozambican public security forces. See the article by Alex Perry on Politico, September 26, 2024 https://www.politico.eu/article/totalenergies-mozambique-patrick-pouyanne-atrocites-afungi-palma-cabo-delgado-al-shabab-isis/
