Planejamento ambiental no contexto do licenciamento de parques eólicos no litoral setentrional do Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

Wind energy is touted as of promising future when it refers to the Brazilian energy matrix, which is characterized as renewable, clean and, therefore, with greater environmental sustainability compared to other non-renewable sources or even other renewable as hydroelectric. Even in the face of the promulgated sustainable vision, its installation and operation aspects demonstrate an anthropic activity that causes negative environmental impacts like any other activity and drives social and environmental conflicts mainly in coastal areas. Environmental licensing is an administrative procedure that regulates these occupations, and is based on environmental studies that combine scientific research with evaluation and prediction techniques, whose objective is to present the social and environmental viability of an enterprise. The environmental licensing of the wind industry has been built over the years, as large wind farms settle in sectors with the highest energy potential, such as coastal zones, which even being Permanent Preservation Areas (PPA) are still usable for public utility. Given the non- impeditive character, in the legal aspect, to the occupation of wind farms, even in PPA, the degree of importance of environmental study in the definition of social and environmental impacts, the decision-making to the implementation of the enterprise and the problem surrounding the environments of high environmental fragility, under the occupation processes of different economic sectors, and in view of the changes caused in the landscape, the concern with the planning of the territorial occupation, the regulation of the occupations on the seafront and the preservation of the integrity of the natural environments grows. For this, studies that go beyond the current context and focus on the dynamics of the area, such as multitemporal analysis, as favorable instruments for environmental planning and actions targeting, seeking greater equity between society and nature, are fundamental. Given this context, this research aimed to analyze the scenario of environmental licensing for wind farms in the context of environmental planning and directing of the decision making about new occupations. The research has shown that multitemporal landscape analysis is an efficient methodological tool for the decision- making in new occupations. The results show that environmental studies sometimes do not clearly contemplate the real environmental impacts caused by the implementation of enterprises in areas with fragile ecosystems. Even with the 2014 legislation update, that now requires more complex studies such as EIA/RIMA, it is recommended an improvement in their quality, adoption of methodological procedures, community involvement, standardization of attributes and consideration of new attributes by the environmental agency. The research presented a methodological proposal for Environmental Impact Assessment and brought guidelines and suggestions that the environmental agency, entrepreneur and other actors involved in the process can take into consideration in the pre-licensing, licensing and post-licensing of wind projects