Carlos Minc, Brazil’s new environment minister, won’t have his feet under his desk before the government auctions a concession to build and run the second of two controversial hydroelectric power stations on the River Madeira in the heart of the Amazon on Monday.

The Jirau plant and the Santo Antonio plant further upriver, auctioned in December, have become emblematic of delays in granting environmental licences to infrastructure projects in Brazil and were among the causes of friction between the government and Marina Silva, Mr Minc’s predecessor who resigned last Tuesday in frustration over the way she and her policies were being sidelined by other ministers.