Small Hydro Development Strategies: Providing Social and Environmental Benefits

摘要

Several small hydroelectric power plants in Brazil are being designed, built, and operated by Brascan Energetica S.A., the Brazilian subsidiary of Brookfield Power, an independent power producer. In Brazil, small power plants are those with less than 30 mw of installed capacity and reservoirs with less than 3 square kilometers of surface area. Although these smaller plants do not involve as large an investment as major hydroelectric projects, small facilities can make a big difference in the communities where they are implemented. The affected population can and must use the opportunities created by construction of a power plant, which brings economic and social advantages that will ensure the real, sustainable development of the region. In addition, a company that wants to build and operate such an enterprise must understand the high degree of social and environmental responsibility, properly imple- menting and operating the project.