Integrating geographic intelligence for sustainable powerline planning

Authors

  • Felipe Ramos Nabuco de Araújo Msc in Environmental Systems Analysis and Modeling, Environmental Analyst, Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, Brasília, DF, Brazil https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5846-693X
  • André Luiz Fonseca Naime PhD in Geography and Environmental Management, Environmental Analyst, Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9281-1844
  • Rodrigo Affonso de Albuquerque Nóbrega PhD in Transportation Engineering, Associate Professor, Institute of Geosciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7058-5903

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18472/SustDeb.v14n3.2023.50476

Keywords:

AHP, powerline planning, GIS, conceptual model, participatory model, decision-making

Abstract

This research explores the potential of geographic intelligence in modelling optimal corridors for assessing alternative locations for power transmission lines at different stages of the study. The difficulties verified in the environmental licensing of new projects, the expansion of the national transmission system, and the lack of work to research techniques for formulating locational alternatives are motivating questions for this research. The investigation employs a multicriteria decision-making approach integrated with a geographic information framework to compute and map the feasibility corridors based on environmental constraints and stakeholder inputs. Findings reveal that the current decision-making process for implementing new power transmission lines involves disparate public and private entities operating non-integratively in a multi-level analysis and decision-making process. Through a case study utilising multicriteria analysis and expert consultations, the research demonstrates the applicability of spatial modelling in the locational planning of transmission projects. It highlights the model's capacity to address the complexity inherent in such studies, aggregate analyses and decisions from various stakeholders, and enhance transparency in the decision-making process from energy planning to operational phases.

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Author Biographies

Felipe Ramos Nabuco de Araújo, Msc in Environmental Systems Analysis and Modeling, Environmental Analyst, Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, Brasília, DF, Brazil

Environmental Analyst at the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources IBAMA, Environmental Engineer graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and Master´s degree in Analysis and Modeling of Environmental Systems at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. He has experience in environmental permitting, environmental impact assessment, geospatial technologies, environmental management and investigation of contaminated areas.

André Luiz Fonseca Naime, PhD in Geography and Environmental Management, Environmental Analyst, Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

Environmental analyst at Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), specializing in environmental licensing and the assessment of socio-environmental impacts and risks since 2002. Dr. Naime graduated in Electrical Industrial Engineering from the Federal Center for Technological Education of Minas Gerais in 2000, earned a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in 2001, and a Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Management from the University of Waterloo (revalidated by the Center for Sustainable Development at the University of Brasília - UnB). With over twenty years of experience as a EIA practitioner, my expertise includes: 1) Evaluation of environmental impact reports (EIA) and quantitative and qualitative risk reports (EAR); 2) Environmental regulation and control, as well as the development and implementation of public policies in the environmental sector, along with research related to these topics; 3) Multidisciplinary analysis and participation in decision-making processes, including involvement in the regulation of over 200 large infrastructure projects such as nuclear power plants, gas and oil pipelines, railways, hydroelectric plants, thermoelectric plants, and power transmission lines; 4) Development of land use and occupation policies in urban areas, including those with the presence of natural and technological risks; and 5) Development and review of technical standards for the assessment and management of technological risks and social impacts.

Rodrigo Affonso de Albuquerque Nóbrega, PhD in Transportation Engineering, Associate Professor, Institute of Geosciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

Rodrigo Affonso de Albuquerque Nóbrega holds a bachelor degree in Cartographic Engineering (UNESP 1996), and a Master's and Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering (USP 2002 and 2007). He completed his Postdoctoral studies at the Geosystems Research Institute - Mississippi State University (2010). His research and extension activities are focused on the development and application of geographic intelligence and transportation planning. With 27 years of experience in geoprocessing in both the private and academic sectors, Rodrigo worked in the private sector in Brazil between 1997 and 2008 as a project engineer, operational coordinator for extensive mapping and aerophotogrammetry, as well as a consultant and professor in geotechnologies. In the United States, from 2008 to 2012, he worked as an Associate Researcher and Research Professor, where he developed and compiled decision models based on multiple criteria coupled with geographic information systems for transportation planning, supported by the U.S Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He has experience in emergency response actions to disasters, including Hurricane Katrina (2005) and the British Petroleum Oil Spill (2010), at the Geosystems Research Institute of Mississippi State University, as well as in the judicial support actions for the Brumadinho´s Dam Break event by UFMG (2021). Currelty, Dr. Nobrega is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cartography at the Institute of Geosciences (IGC) of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) where he coordinates the Transportation Research Environmental Modeling laboratory. Dr. Nobrega conducts research in the two postgraduate programs: Analysis and Modeling of Environmental Systems at IGC/UFMG and Geotechnics and Transportation at the School of Engineering at UFMG. Dr. Nobrega is an Associate Editor of the Bulletin of Geodetic Sciences, a member of the Scientific Committee of the National Association for Research and Education in Transportation, and an active reviewer for national and international journals.

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Published

2023-12-11

How to Cite

Araújo, F. R. N. de, Naime, A. L. F., & Nóbrega, R. A. de A. (2023). Integrating geographic intelligence for sustainable powerline planning. Sustainability in Debate, 14(3), 160–180. https://doi.org/10.18472/SustDeb.v14n3.2023.50476

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 3 (2023): Sustainability in Debate / Sustentabilidade em Debate

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Dossier

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