The auction of the Santo Antonio hydro power scheme in Brazil has been capped with a power price of R$122/MWh (US$70/MWh) by the country's electricity regulator Aneel.

Last week the Ministry of Mines and Energy announced that the auction of the concession for the 3150MW Santo Antonio plant had been delayed to 10 December. It was originally scheduled to be held yesterday.

The project is to be built on the river Madeira in west Brazil, near the border with Bolivia. Santo Antonio is one of two projects in the 6450MW Madeira scheme, the other being the 3300MW Jirau project.

The Madeira scheme was given provisional environmental licences for development earlier this year by the regulator Ibama following prolonged assessments. However, Bolivia continues to be concerned over the cross-border impact of the reservoir impounding.