Rios de Diesel na Amazônia Legal: Por que a Região com as Maiores Hidrelétricas do País Depende de Combustível Caro e Poluente?

The document analyzes the energy landscape of the Legal Amazon, highlighting the disparity between the region's role as a major energy exporter via the National Interconnected System (SIN) and the internal reality of 4 million people disconnected from it. It examines 'Sistemas Isolados' (Isolated Systems) and populations without any electricity access, linking these energy deficits to poor socioeconomic indicators. The report criticizes the current auction model for isolated systems for favoring diesel over renewables and evaluates the 'Mais Luz para a Amazônia' program, providing recommendations for a transition toward decentralized solar energy and improved regulatory frameworks.

• Despite the Legal Amazon generating 25.7% of Brazil's electricity in 2020, it consumed only 8.4% of that total, and over 14% of its population lacks access to the National Interconnected System (SIN).
• Approximately 3 million people in the region rely on Isolated Systems, which are predominantly powered by diesel thermal plants (97% of installed capacity in 2018), while nearly 1 million people have no permanent electricity access, relying on intermittent diesel or gasoline generators.
• The cost of generating energy in Isolated Systems is subsidized by all Brazilian electricity consumers through the Fuel Consumption Account (CCC), which was estimated to exceed R$ 10 billion in 2022, representing a per capita subsidy of over R$ 3,000 for residents of these systems.
• Municipalities with Isolated Systems exhibit significantly worse socioeconomic outcomes compared to the rest of the Legal Amazon, including lower Municipal Human Development Index (IDHM), lower GDP per capita, higher unemployment, and lower quality of basic education (IDEB).
• The current auction model for Isolated Systems hinders the competitiveness of renewable energy due to high initial costs, currency volatility, and a lack of environmental criteria in the bidding process, despite renewables offering much lower long-term operational costs.
• The 'Mais Luz para a Amazônia' program, designed to provide renewable energy to remote families, is criticized for lacking objective goals, effective oversight, penalties for non-compliance, and sufficient engagement with local communities.

APA

Schutze, A., Bines, L., & Assunção, J. (2022). Rios de Diesel na Amazônia Legal: Por que a Região com as Maiores Hidrelétricas do País Depende de Combustível Caro e Poluente? Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Rios-de-Diesel-na-Amazonia-Legal.pdf

Chicago

Schutze, Amanda, Luiz Bines, and Juliano Assunção. Rios de Diesel na Amazônia Legal: Por que a Região com as Maiores Hidrelétricas do País Depende de Combustível Caro e Poluente? Climate Policy Initiative, 2022. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Rios-de-Diesel-na-Amazonia-Legal.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Schutze |first1=Amanda |last2=Bines |first2=Luiz |last3=Assunção |first3=Juliano |title=Rios de Diesel na Amazônia Legal: Por que a Região com as Maiores Hidrelétricas do País Depende de Combustível Caro e Poluente? |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=June 2022 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Rios-de-Diesel-na-Amazonia-Legal.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{schutze2022rios, author = {Schutze, Amanda and Bines, Luiz and Assunção, Juliano}, title = {{Rios de Diesel na Amazônia Legal: Por que a Região com as Maiores Hidrelétricas do País Depende de Combustível Caro e Poluente?}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Rios-de-Diesel-na-Amazonia-Legal.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }