Research and Development Projects
In order to create more efficient strategies and subsidize environmental conservation programs, Cemig has established a number of partnerships with research centers, universities and foundations. Part of these partnerships are carried out through projects developed with the Research and Development Program (R&D) of the National Electrical Energy Agency (ANEEL) and the other part, with the Company’s own resources.
Studies developed measure the efficiency of the work carried out and the need for interventions, in addition to bringing important data on river basins, ensuring that conservation strategies for ichthyofauna adopted by the program are scientifically defensible.
In all these years of the Program:
- Twenty-four projects were carried out, five of which are still running, with the involvement of at least 10 universities and investments of over R$ 40 million in research;
- More than 500 technical-scientific papers were produced as a result of program activities and projects developed in collaboration. So far, there are 90 scientific articles, 7 books and 42 book chapters;
- Projects developed in collaboration with the program have helped graduate 15 Doctors and 46 Masters;
- In all, more than 230 employees were involved, among them teachers, undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The book collection from Série Peixe Vivo [Live Fish Series] brings the results of several of the aforementioned projects, the methodological bases and recommendations of which have been adopted by other companies in the industry and environmental regulatory bodies. For example, the book Avaliação de Risco de Morte de Peixes em Usinas Hidrelétricas [Risk Assessment of Fish Deaths in Hydroelectric Power Plants] compiles important contributions to the electricity industry, presenting methodologies developed in partnership with UFMG [Federal University of Minas Gerais] focusing on understanding and mitigating fish deaths associated with the operation of hydroelectric power plants. From an innovative approach, the book raises and discusses unprecedented data on the interaction between fish and plants, and recommendations are proposed (e.g. special operating rules) that aim to improve the environmental safety of plants.