Energy policy and hydro building in the first half of the twentieth century: reflections on the case of the Paraná-StateBrazil

Abstract

In this article analyzes some government actions that contributed to the creation of a hydropower policy in the Paraná state, Brazil, between the 1940s and 1950s. I dedicate a special attention to the beginning of the projections and hydroelectric constructions in the Iguaçu River, especially the history of the installation of Caiacanga Hydroelectric, first to be installed in the course of this river. Using speech as an analytical category, I try to reflect on the emergence of the hydroenergetic model and its defense and legitimation in the contemporary history of Brazil. The analysis of the construction of the Caiacanga Hydroelectric to reveal a historical process that leads us to projects elaborate in the early twentieth century, its technological forms and the role that occupy the rivers and its waterfalls in government plans. The sources used were government messages, the Hydro-Energy Plan of the Parana State dated 1949 and a Technical Report published in 1951 in the Paraná State, Brazil.

Keywords

• Rio Iguaçu, Hidrelétricas, História