On the other side are the proponents of the project, such as the then Prime Minister Jose Socrates. At the start of the dam construction, he argued that while projects like the dam and other developments like a new airport or a bullet train are expensive and perhaps controversial, they are necessary:
Auf der anderen Seite gibt es Leute, die das Projekt verteidigen, wie beispielsweise der Premierminister José Sócrates, der in Bezug auf den Baubeginn des Damms meinte: