Abstract:
The growing demand for electricity in Brazil and the intensification of the discussion
about the preservation of the environment makes the research of means of electricity
generation with low environmental impact always current and necessary. The hydraulic
power station uses cause great environmental impacts, especially by the extension of
flooded area. Energy production from Small Hydroelectric Power Plants may be an
effective alternative, whose technology is widely dominated in the country, and which
have a minor impact on the environment. The main objective of this research was to
analyze the normative aspect of environmental licensing for the implantation of Small
Hydroelectric Plants, identifying options for their real improvement. As a work
methodology, a survey of the legislation concerning environmental licensing in Brazil
was carried out, identifying the contribution of Small Hydroelectric Plants to the Brazilian
electricity sector and the main obstacles of the environmental licensing process in the
current regulatory scenario. Environmental licensing processes for Small Hydroelectric
Power Plants underway in the Regional Environment Superintendencies of Minas Gerais
were also analyzed. The research showed that, among other aspects, the excessive
discretion of the Administration, the obscurity of the norm, the diversity in the required
documentation of the entrepreneur, the overlapping of norms, and the precariousness of
the structure, including technical personnel, cause the slowness and subjectivity of the
procedure. So also the lack of a classification of the Small Hydroelectric Power Plants
according to their size, degrading potential, flooded area and locational criteria. The
research also pointed out that simple measures such as the unification of standards at the
federal level or even at the state level, associated with red tape, and the setting of quality
parameters for environmental studies would bring a great benefit to the sector.
