ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how new approaches to social and environmental planning are being brought into Brazil’s electric power sector. It describes the principal assumptions and conclusions of the National Electric Power Plan 1987-2010. The chapter considers the shifts that are occurring within the sector’s major companies in their approach to population relocation caused by hydroelectric plants. One of the most important tasks facing the Brazilian power sector is to clarify and discuss with the public the overall environmental and social implications of the expansion plan. The Sobradinho project has been criticized not only for the number of people affected but also for the solutions and decision-making process adopted by the northeast regional utility company, CHESF. The company lacked an adequate relocation plan, paid low compensation amounts to rural dwellers, and excluded the population affected from the process of developing resettlement solutions. The process of negotiating the resettlement package underwent significant changes during Itaparica’s implementation.
