A rede de PCHS em Santa Catarina: fatores políticos e econômicos

Abstract

This article is the result of a research in progress for a Doctoral Dissertation in Geography, in the Regional and Urban Development concentration area. Its goal is to understand the political and economic network behind the formation of the PCHs (Small Hydroelectric Power Plants) network in the state of Santa Catarina. The article first presents brief history of the formation of the national electrical system, with emphasis on the PCHs and its consolidation as an attractive and profitable business to private initiative, exposing the process of implementation of a PCH and highlighting the legislation and its consequences, such as the current configuration of the PCHs network and its relationship with investors, its location and constitution. The concepts of technical systems and technical networks permeate the discussion in the search for understanding the weight of political and economic factors in the formation of the PCHs network in Santa Catarina.