Assimetrias na apropriação de benefícios advindos da expansão da indústria eólica no Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

Wind energy currently assumes global relevance in the ongoing energy transition. In this environment, Brazil is an important market for investments in this industry, recording in 2021 19.1 GW installed. As a reflection of the excellent wind qualities verified in its territory, the Brazilian Northeast hosts 86% of the national installed capacity, with emphasis on Rio Grande do Norte, which accounts for 5.6 GW. In this context, for this state, the business model, the legitimation strategies, the socioeconomic and environmental implications arising from the expansion of the wind industry are investigated. The thesis allows us to infer that the productive chain of the wind industry in the Rio Grande do Norte shows limitations regarding the appropriation of its benefits to a large portion of the Rio Grande do Norte society, since the jobs generated are limited and temporary, in addition to presenting low pay. It is also verified that the industry was not able to act positively on the socioeconomic indicators of the municipalities that house the wind industry in the state. This market contributes little to the expansion of state revenues, but, on the contrary, it imposed a tax waiver on this tax that compromises the investment capacity of public administration. The geographical disposition of the productive structure of this industry presents a strong spatial discrepancy since the location of the equipment producing units is distant from the territories where the country's wind farms are concentrated. In social and environmental terms, the convergent discourse which points to the wind source as having a low impact needs to be redesigned, given the accumulation of evidence of numerous social and environmental impacts on biotas and human settlements, which leads to adjustments to the current environmental licensing process in the country imperative.