Ventos que transformam? Um estudo sobre o impacto econômico e social da instalação dos parques eólicos no Rio Grande do Norte/Brasil

Abstract

The study presents the results of an investigation into the economic and social impact of wind energy production in the state of Rio Grande do Norte and especially for producing counties. The research starts from the assumption that implementation of wind farms in the state has not so far presented satisfactory results in the socioeconomic sphere for producing counties, despite contributing to the growth of state tax revenues and to advance in the generation of electricity. Through an analogy of the deployment of wind farms with theories of economic enclaves in a given territory and the typology of Latin American economies presented by Celso Furtado, we found that a high-tech activity can frustrate the expectations related to technology transfer and real socioeconomic progress. Through interviews with residents of settlements and municipal administrators of Rio do Fogo municipalities, João Câmara, Parazinho and Pedra Grande (the four leading wind energy producers municipalities of Rio Grande do Norte) and raising of taxes paid in installation and operation of the parks, it was observed that the socio-economic progress expected for municipalities has manifested itself of conformity with the speech manifested by the state and the power generating companies.