Issues in Energy Vulnerability Assessment: Looking for a Sustainable Choice of Natural Resource for Power Generation

Abstract

The objective of this work is to analyze, through environmental vulnerability (EV), disturbances in the environment caused by anthropic activities for the production of energy resources, focusing on the power generation sector. Methodologically, hydrocarbons (oil and gas) and solar are considered through a qualitative and quantitative analysis of environmental impacts, including the research in Environmental Impact Studies and procedures like EIA/RIMA (institutional Environmental Impact Reports in Brazil). This study focuses on operation and demobilization of offshore drilling activity, and installation and operation of the Santos Basin pre-salt oil and gas production and disposal activity Stages 1, 2, and 3. The criteria addressed in the EIA/RIMAs are used, focusing on those that correlate with EV and the production of electricity. Impacts for long-term, permanent, partially reversible, or irreversible disturbances are filtered, totaling 53 impacts (31 effective/21 potential). We concluded that the criteria and methodologies of EIAs vary between stages. At times, the variation is so drastic that the same impact can have a completely different rating from one stage to another, despite referring to the same area. This condition makes it impossible to define a single vulnerability index for the pre-salt venture. For a final analysis, we propose a cleaner energy production through distributed photovoltaic systems as a more adequate alternative for São Paulo’s energy supply in terms of its impact on EV.

Environmental Vulnerability in Pre-Salt Oil and Gas Operations

“…Thus, with regard to the exploitation of natural resources, there are alternatives that can save the environmental factors studied above from these risks [2,3,10]. It is known that various reviews and studies are carried out around the world about environmental vulnerability (with varying degrees of analysis and accuracy, published or not), aiming at the diffuse goal of sustainable development and others such as the objectives of the millennium, as found in [13][14][15][16]25,26,28,61,62]. "Although modern society needs a series of petroleum products in order to be fully functional, coupled with this dependence, there must be a corresponding responsibility to manage these products effectively and safely in order to prevent environmental disasters" [60].…”