Water Resource Conflict in the Amazon Region: The Case of Hydropower Generation and Multiple Water uses in the Tocantins and Araguaia River Basins

Abstract

The guarantee of multiple water use is one of the main objectives of the Brazilian system of managing water resources. However, it is still unclear how to reach these objectives regarding hydropower plants. This paper introduces a method for support of hydropower plants taking into account the compatibility with multiple water uses. It also introduces a computational tool based on the proposed method, which assesses energy generation and possible losses associated with meeting upstream water demand. A case study of the Tocantins and Araguaia basins (Amazon region) is presented. The results obtained corroborate the applicability of the proposed method.