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Effectiveness of Public Consultation in Portuguese Solar Photovoltaic Projects Subject to EIA
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Resumo(s)
The push for the energy transition has led to a rise in Solar Photovoltaic Plants (SPP) projects over the past decade in Portugal. For a successful transition, alignment between government goals and public expectations is crucial, requiring transparent and adaptable project implementation.
This study analyzes the effectiveness of Public Consultation (PC) processes for 50 SPP projects subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Portugal, between 2015 to 2023. The criteria were developed using international Best Practice standards and the information was sourced by interpreting EIA processes and documentation. The analysis starts with the quality of PC management, followed by an assembling of PC indicators and projects settings. The interaction between PC management with PC indicators and project settings revealed how PC management allowed for effective participation, and to what extent project settings influenced participation.
Findings showed that PC management quality was considered sufficiently good, having improved over time, likely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, which seems to have accelerated decision-making as well. Despite PC management did not significantly influence effective participation, the Non-Technical Summary and Consultation Arrangements of the EIA processes enhanced participation robustness.
The study identified variables associated with project scale as the most significant drivers of PC, with ecological and economic concerns also playing a role. In practice, stakeholders’ primary concerns were biophysical (e.g. landscape) and socioeconomic (e.g. local economic activities and quality of life) domains. Regarding similarities of concern, two distinct clusters of stakeholders emerge: technical/high administration groups, whose concerns were very oriented, having assumed neutral to permissive stances, and civil society/interest groups, whose concerns were very diverse and consistently opposed SPP projects.
Widespread public discontent with SPP projects was identified, given the already presented concerns. Additionally, criticism directed towards the energy policy was expressive, accusing high-level officials of overlooking SPP alternatives and strategic planning.
Descrição
Tese de mestrado, Ecologia e Gestão Ambiental, 2024, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências
Palavras-chave
Impacte Ambiental Avaliação da Consulta Pública Energia Fotovoltaica Transição Energética Aceitação Social Teses de mestrado - 2024