Analysing the sustainability of a transmission line project

Analysing the future need for electricity demanded by economic agents and society in general is one of the priority technical activities in the planning of the Brazilian electricity sector. Defining the route of transmission lines is an integral part of this planning, in which the impacts associated with the construction and operation of these projects must be recognised, seeking to minimise the negative aspects and mitigate their effects on the population and the environment in general. Sustainability assessment can be seen as a multi-criteria problem, which must include technical, economic, environmental and social aspects. Multicriteria techniques have therefore been applied to assessing the impacts of complex projects, including projects to expand the electricity system in terms of generation, transmission and distribution. This research focuses on the electricity transmission network segment and aims to contribute to presenting an impact assessment methodology that integrates different indicators that reflect environmental and socio-economic criteria.