A sustentabilidade das usinas hidrelétricas na bacia do rio Tocantins: aspectos ambientais, sociais, econômicos e jurídicos

Abstract

The present study sought to identify information on the environmental, social, economic and legal aspects that condition the sustainability of hydroelectric plants installed in the Tocantins River basin. The objective was to contribute to the formulation of sustainable public policies for the maintenance, modernization or decommissioning of large hydroelectric plants installed in the Tocantins River basin. A literature review was carried out dealing with the emergence of the concept of sustainability and its influence on legislation and practices related to the installation and operation of large hydroelectric plants along the Tocantins River basin. According to the data generated by the research, maps, graphs and tables were prepared to analyze the use and occupation of the land, as well as demographic and socioeconomic indices of the areas of influence of the hydroelectric plants. In the discussion, reflections related to environmental aspects were presented, understood as the interaction of biotic and abiotic factors; the social aspects, focusing on the impact of installations and removals of large plants; the economic aspects resulting from the use, modernization and decommissioning of dams in the face of new energy matrices; and, finally, the consequent legal aspects that defined legal criteria for licensing large-scale plants. In spite of the great Brazilian experience in the generation of hydraulic energy, there is still a great mismatch between the uniformity of the environmental legislation applicable to the different levels of complexity of this system. The discrepancies in requirements and monitoring of the installation processes of hydroelectric plants in Brazil are evident