DEA Method Application in the Risk Evaluation of Dams Safety on Brazilian Small Hydropower Plants

Risk management involves both objective and subjective factors. In principle, objective factors are expressed by numerical values being classified by limit values or ranges, while subjective factors express values that can hardly be represented numerically. The evaluation problem tends to worsen when events must be compared and a selection or ordering must be performed. Besides that, projects are part of day to day of the organizations and it is quite common that the number of demands exceeds the capacity of the team available. For this reason, the importance of considering defined processes to help select and prioritize those who are most relevant to an institution. This paper presents a solution proposal to measure and analyze the efficiency degree associated to Brazilian Small Hydroelectric Power Plants (SHPs) in terms of resources and of efforts allocation on implementation of their Dams Safety programs, against the background of National Security Policy established for this of infrastructure type, having like motivation the need to support and rationalize the regulatory oversight process of the governmental authority that supports it. The method, based on multicriteria analysis and data envelopment methods, focused on improving the knowledge and techniques related to the the conformity monitoring process of the facilities by weighing a relevant set of consolidated and technically recognized factors. Its application made possible to measure and guarantee the judgments consistency throughout the process, minimizing risks, promoting greater rationalization and administrative transparency, enabling, within the principles of Collaborative Governance, the access of interested parties to understandable information that goes beyond those determined by legal provisions.