Environmental Impacts and Damage to Cultural and Archaeological Resources, to Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems and to Biodiversity During the Construction and Operation Phase of the Santa Cecília Pumping Plant in Barra Do Piraí – Rj
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article aims to analyze and economically value the environmental impacts and damages to cultural and archaeological resources, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and biodiversity resulting from the construction and operation of the Santa Cecília Elevatory Power Plant, located in Barra do Piraí, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The study uses as an empirical landmark the flood that occurred in January 2000, when heavy rainfall in the tributaries of the Paraíba do Sul River caused overflows, raising the reservoir level above the alarm quota (353.30 m), destruction of bridges, landslides, interruption of essential services, and, according to SINDEC, 1,061 homeless, 2,503 displaced, and 14,918 affected people. Methodologically, the five steps proposed by Tolmasquim et al. (2000) for identifying and valuing externalities in the electric sector are adopted, complemented by the impact matrix of REIS (2001), which systematizes generating aspects, receptors, and effects on the physical, biotic, and socioeconomic environments. A critical review of environmental economic valuation methodologies is carried out – marginal productivity, replacement costs, relocation costs, prevention/mitigation costs, protection costs, travel cost, hedonic pricing, and contingent valuation – highlighting the latter as the only technique capable of capturing existence and non-use values of irreversible cultural and natural assets. Based on reference studies in Germany, Australia (Kakadu Conservation Zone), and the Brazilian Pantanal, the damage to cultural and archaeological resources is estimated at R$ 724,703.40 (average value). The total environmental liability for the period 1953-2001 reaches R$ 3,647,865.95, and the damages from the 2000 flood amount to R$ 10,762.95 thousand, totaling R$ 14,410,815.95. It is concluded that the non-internalization of degradation costs and the absence of preventive measures such as a regularization dam, riparian reforestation, and dredging potentiated the disasters, reinforcing the need to incorporate environmental costs into energy planning and socio-environmental justice.
Source: Artefactum
Language: English
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7203765755