Licenciamento ambiental e a difusão de conflitos: um estudo multicaso a partir de projetos hidrelétricos do Estado do Paraná

Abstract

The intrinsic obstacle to energy production in Brazil is related to social conflicts, due to the impacts produced by the techniques and technologies of the sector. The creation of policies to mitigate them was stimulated, as was the case with the National Environmental Policy, which, for this purpose, has its main instrument, environmental licensing. However, the conflicts persist. In view, the objective is to uncover the aspects that surround the environmental conflict around small hydroelectric power plant projects, inserted in the first phase of the environmental licensing process of the state of Paraná. In this sense, it is sought to understand the origin of their impact on the community directly affected and on investment and power generation involved. In order to do so a multiple case study approach - the projects were selected according to the state of Paraná's pretensions for the energy sector, and considering the cases that have more conflicts, since the objective is to work with complex cases and studies that depend of environmental impact and its respective report, consequently of public hearings -; of applied nature; explorative objective and with regard to data processing, this research adopts qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques with the help of the software ATLAS.ti. As a result, it was understood that the environmental conflicts studied emerge from noncompliance with the norms of the energy field - driven by the advancement of the private sector, by the flexibility of the State and by economic interests. The case studies have demonstrated that this conjuncture consists of three dynamics: arbitrariness, confrontation and unfolding. The first structure the environmental licensing processes; The second promotes the creation and / or adjustment of standards, reducing social manifestations; And the third refers to the consequences of the clash between the previous dynamics. However, the importance of the instrument remains, which presents no problems with its structure, but with the type of management used in its phases - usually influenced by external interests.