By-products of sustainable forest management plans in the Brazilian Amazon biome: Potential location for forest-based power plants

This study investigates high potential location for the installation of thermoelectric plants fueled by forest residues from Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) plans in the Brazilian Amazon biome. The methodology was structured in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) environment, using ArcGIS software (version 10.8.2), and applied two territorial allocation models. The first model excluded environmentally and legally unsuitable areas, identifying regions suitable for the installation of the plants. The second considered exclusively urban areas as potential locations. Both models were configured to allocate five plants per state (or mesoregion, in the cases of Amazonas and Pará), with biomass supply limited to distances of 50 km and 100 km. The results showed that plants located in areas with greater biomass availability had greater energy generation capacity and longer operational time. The state of Roraima achieved the best performance, with average generation of 638.6 and 2049 MW year⁻¹, and estimated operational time of 63.8 and 204.9 years, in the 50 km and 100 km scenarios, respectively. The findings contribute significantly to the identification of priority areas for the implementation of sustainable thermoelectric infrastructure, providing technical support for energy planning based on biomass availability and long-term viability. The study reinforces the importance of bioenergy as an alternative for diversifying the electricity matrix in the Amazon and as an instrument for effective public policies, aligned with the environmental, logistical and socioeconomic reality of the region.