An assessment of the socioeconomic externalities of hydropower plants in Brazil

• Published in: Energy policy Vol. 129; pp. 868 - 879
• Main Authors: Sgarbi, Felipe de Albuquerque, Uhlig, Alexandre, Simões, André Felipe, Goldemberg, José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2019; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Construction; Econometrics; Economic activity; Economic analysis; Electricity generation; Energy policy; Environmental assessment; Environmental impact; Externality; Fertility; Fish; Fish migration; Health status; Hydroelectric plants; Hydroelectric power; Indicators; Migration; Parasitic diseases; Power; Power supplies; Public health; Safety; Social and economic impacts; Socioeconomic factors; Sustainability; Tropical dams; Waterborne diseases; Brazil; Electricity generation; Social and economic impacts; Tropical dams
• ISSN: 0301-4215; 1873-6777
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2019.02.072

Hydropower plants (HPPs) have played a key role in the Brazilian electric sector for over a century. As the different options for the generation of electricity are being increasingly scrutinized in terms of their sustainability, the assessment of the social, economic and environmental impacts has become a strategic factor to support investment decisions geared to expand the power supply. In this study, the construction and operation of a large group of Brazilian HPPs with over 100 MW of installed power was assessed based on the econometric analyses of 28 municipal indicators related to social, economic and environmental issues. Despite the broad variety of indicators analyzed, some environmental interferences typically attributed to HPPs such as a reduction in biodiversity and the interruption of fish migration routes were not assessed due to the lack of indicators. Overall, the study shows that the construction and operation of HPPs benefits mainly the economic activities. On the other hand, the indicators related to public health and safety, including the incidence of water-borne diseases and tropical parasitosis, bear no relation with the analyzed processes, except for the human fertility factor. In terms of Education, one of the indicators declined both during construction and operation stage.
•Construction and operation of HPPs benefits mainly economic activities.•Policymakers should develop more effective ways of discussing the viability of HPPs.•Available data do not support broad assessments of environmental aspects of HPPs.