Toward Cleaner, Cheaper Power : Streamlined Licensing of Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil

Brazil is confronted with steadily increasing demands for electricity. The country has the ability to meet that demand by developing its considerable hydropower potential, but the regulatory process that governs the approval of new hydroelectric pl...

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Main Author:	World Bank
Format:	Brief
Language:	English
Published:	Washington, DC 2012
Subjects:	ADVERSE EFFECTS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY APPROACH CAPACITY SHORTAGES COAL DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY DIESEL ELECTRICITY ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS GENERATION HYDRO PLANTS HYDROELECTRIC GENERATION HYDROELECTRIC PLANT HYDROELECTRIC PLANTS HYDROELECTRIC POWER HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS HYDROPOWER HYDROPOWER PLANT HYDROPOWER PLANTS HYDROPOWER POTENTIAL HYDROPOWER PROJECTS INVENTORY MARGINAL COSTS NUCLEAR GENERATION NUCLEAR PLANTS OPPORTUNITY COST OPPORTUNITY COSTS POWER POWER INDUSTRY POWER PLANTS PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE SOCIAL COSTS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THERMAL PLANTS TOTAL COSTS
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2009/02/10239665/toward-cleaner-cheaper-power-streamlined-licensing-hydroelectric-projects-brazil http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11729

id	okr-10986-11729
recordtype	oai_dc
spelling	okr-10986-117292021-04-23T14:02:57Z Toward Cleaner, Cheaper Power : Streamlined Licensing of Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil World Bank ADVERSE EFFECTS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY APPROACH CAPACITY SHORTAGES COAL DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY DIESEL ELECTRICITY ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS GENERATION HYDRO PLANTS HYDROELECTRIC GENERATION HYDROELECTRIC PLANT HYDROELECTRIC PLANTS HYDROELECTRIC POWER HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS HYDROPOWER HYDROPOWER PLANT HYDROPOWER PLANTS HYDROPOWER POTENTIAL HYDROPOWER PROJECTS INVENTORY MARGINAL COSTS NUCLEAR GENERATION NUCLEAR PLANTS OPPORTUNITY COST OPPORTUNITY COSTS POWER POWER INDUSTRY POWER PLANTS PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE SOCIAL COSTS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THERMAL PLANTS TOTAL COSTS Brazil is confronted with steadily increasing demands for electricity. The country has the ability to meet that demand by developing its considerable hydropower potential, but the regulatory process that governs the approval of new hydroelectric plants imposes unnecessary delays that push up project costs and increase uncertainty. The process, among other reasons, has created a shortage of investment in otherwise viable hydropower projects in favor of less efficient and more harmful technologies. Brazil's electricity sector serves roughly sixty million residential and commercial customers and generates revenues of US$20 billion. With demand growing at a rate of 4.4 percent annually, an additional 3,000 megawatts of generating power will be needed by 2015. The cost of the new power plants needed to provide that power is estimated at US$40 billion. Presently, five-sixths of the country's power needs are met by hydroelectric plants, though in recent years only half of the new plants receiving licenses to begin construction have been hydroelectric. The other half of the licenses have been issued for coal, diesel, and nuclear plants that provide electricity at higher unit costs than hydroelectric plants and have greater adverse effects on people and the environment. The seeming anomaly can be explained by the fact that the licensing process for thermal plants is simpler and more predictable than that for hydroelectric plants. 2012-08-13T15:51:32Z 2012-08-13T15:51:32Z 2009-02 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2009/02/10239665/toward-cleaner-cheaper-power-streamlined-licensing-hydroelectric-projects-brazil http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11729 English Water P-Notes; No. 29 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Brief Publications & Research Latin America & Caribbean Brazil
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Foreign Institution
institution	Digital Repositories
building	World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection	World Bank
language	English
topic	ADVERSE EFFECTS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY APPROACH CAPACITY SHORTAGES COAL DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY DIESEL ELECTRICITY ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS GENERATION HYDRO PLANTS HYDROELECTRIC GENERATION HYDROELECTRIC PLANT HYDROELECTRIC PLANTS HYDROELECTRIC POWER HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS HYDROPOWER HYDROPOWER PLANT HYDROPOWER PLANTS HYDROPOWER POTENTIAL HYDROPOWER PROJECTS INVENTORY MARGINAL COSTS NUCLEAR GENERATION NUCLEAR PLANTS OPPORTUNITY COST OPPORTUNITY COSTS POWER POWER INDUSTRY POWER PLANTS PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE SOCIAL COSTS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THERMAL PLANTS TOTAL COSTS
spellingShingle	ADVERSE EFFECTS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY APPROACH CAPACITY SHORTAGES COAL DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY DIESEL ELECTRICITY ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS GENERATION HYDRO PLANTS HYDROELECTRIC GENERATION HYDROELECTRIC PLANT HYDROELECTRIC PLANTS HYDROELECTRIC POWER HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS HYDROPOWER HYDROPOWER PLANT HYDROPOWER PLANTS HYDROPOWER POTENTIAL HYDROPOWER PROJECTS INVENTORY MARGINAL COSTS NUCLEAR GENERATION NUCLEAR PLANTS OPPORTUNITY COST OPPORTUNITY COSTS POWER POWER INDUSTRY POWER PLANTS PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE SOCIAL COSTS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THERMAL PLANTS TOTAL COSTS World Bank Toward Cleaner, Cheaper Power : Streamlined Licensing of Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil
geographic_facet	Latin America & Caribbean Brazil
relation	Water P-Notes; No. 29
description	Brazil is confronted with steadily increasing demands for electricity. The country has the ability to meet that demand by developing its considerable hydropower potential, but the regulatory process that governs the approval of new hydroelectric plants imposes unnecessary delays that push up project costs and increase uncertainty. The process, among other reasons, has created a shortage of investment in otherwise viable hydropower projects in favor of less efficient and more harmful technologies. Brazil's electricity sector serves roughly sixty million residential and commercial customers and generates revenues of US$20 billion. With demand growing at a rate of 4.4 percent annually, an additional 3,000 megawatts of generating power will be needed by 2015. The cost of the new power plants needed to provide that power is estimated at US$40 billion. Presently, five-sixths of the country's power needs are met by hydroelectric plants, though in recent years only half of the new plants receiving licenses to begin construction have been hydroelectric. The other half of the licenses have been issued for coal, diesel, and nuclear plants that provide electricity at higher unit costs than hydroelectric plants and have greater adverse effects on people and the environment. The seeming anomaly can be explained by the fact that the licensing process for thermal plants is simpler and more predictable than that for hydroelectric plants.
format	Publications & Research :: Brief
author	World Bank
author_facet	World Bank
author_sort	World Bank
title	Toward Cleaner, Cheaper Power : Streamlined Licensing of Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil
title_short	Toward Cleaner, Cheaper Power : Streamlined Licensing of Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil
title_full	Toward Cleaner, Cheaper Power : Streamlined Licensing of Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil
title_fullStr	Toward Cleaner, Cheaper Power : Streamlined Licensing of Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil
title_full_unstemmed	Toward Cleaner, Cheaper Power : Streamlined Licensing of Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil
title_sort	toward cleaner, cheaper power : streamlined licensing of hydroelectric projects in brazil
publisher	Washington, DC
publishDate	2012
url	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2009/02/10239665/toward-cleaner-cheaper-power-streamlined-licensing-hydroelectric-projects-brazil http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11729
_version_	1764417788203499520

Toward Cleaner, Cheaper Power : Streamlined Licensing of Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil

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