Government: fewer licenses to hydroelectric power plants benefited thermal-electric plants
The increase in gas emissions, causing the greenhouse effect by thermal-electric plants can get to 172%
The smaller rigor of the states regarding the concession of environmental licenses for the installation of thermal-electric plants, has been increasing that method of power generation in detriment to hydroelectric plants, according to the president of the Energetic Research Company (EPE), Maurício Tolmasquim, who participated in the audience at the Chamber on Thursday (7). That government company is performing studies and researches to subside the planning in the energy sector.
“It is about an evaluation in the environmental area. For the hydroelectrical plants, the license is federal, and in the case of the thermal-electric ones, it is a state’s license. Some states are more rigorous, but, depending on the state, a huge amount of environmental licenses is required for thermal-electrical plants”, affirmed Tolmasquim during a public hearing at the Committee on Financial Inspection and Control, held to evaluate a decennial plan for that sector.
According to him, the inclusion of thermal-electric plants in the 2008/2017 Decennial Plan on Energy Expansion results from the lack of environmental licenses for projects for hydroelectrical power plants. That license is a prerequisite to apply to bidding processes and to obtain the concession to exploit the profitable services of power generation and distribution.
The consequence of the inclusion of thermal-electric plants – which use fossil fuels and increase global warming – will be a smaller presence of renewable energy sources in the Brazilian energetic matrix, which will drop from the current 87% to 80% in 2017.
Only one hydroelectrical plant
According to Tolmasquim, only one plant – the one of Baixo Iguaçu – received an environmental license and was able to compete. On the other hand, 93 thermal-electric plants received the environmental permit to compete. Their production amounted to 22,000 megawatts.
EPE is currently working to increase the amount of environmental licenses for hydroelectrical projects and to revert that picture, already at the bid planned for October 2009. They expect to obtain practical results from 2014 on, after the construction of new approved hydroelectric plants.
The debate was proposed by Deputy Duarte Nogueira (PSDB-SP), who wanted to discuss exactly the potential increase of 172% in the gas emissions, which cause the greenhouse effect resulting from thermal-electric plants.
Maurício Tolmasquim tempered that worry, affirming that the deforesting of Amazonia is what makes Brazil the fourth carbon gas emitter of the world, and not the power sector.
He stressed that, from the 24,000 megawatts forecast for the expansion of that sector from 2014 to 2017, only 3% will come from thermal-electric plants. Brazil has currently 100,000 megawatts already implemented, and 30,000 are being implemented in bids.
Report - Noéli Nobre
Editing - Newton Araújo
Traducción - Positive Idiomas Ltda