Proposal for a multi-criteria decision support model for assessment of the Projeto Basico Ambiental of small hydroelectric power plants

In Brazil, one of the conditions for issuing the installation license for a hydroelectric plant is the Basic Environmental Project (PBA), which is a document that outlines the management programs for socio-environmental issues, which aim to minimize or mitigate the negative impacts and maximize the positive impacts foreseen with the implementation of the project. Therefore, the relevance of carrying out an evaluation of the potential performance of the programs proposed in the PBA is highlighted, in order to verify if they are in line with the expectations of the environmental agency for projects of this class. This study proposed a Multi-criteria Decision Aid Methodology (MCDA) model to develop and test a potential performance assessment tool that supports licensing bodies in decision-making as to whether or not to approve PBA, based on criteria that define what is relevant from the point of view of licensing bodies.