Produzir energia, (pro) mover o progresso: o Complexo Hidrelétrico Urubupungá e os caminhos do setor energético

This work aims to analyze the Urubupungá Hydroelectric Complex, located in the border region between the States of São Paulo e Mato Grosso do Sul, it is consisted by two hydroelectric plants, the Engenheiro Souza Dias Hydroelectric Plant (Jupiá), and the Ilha Solteira Hydroelectric Plant. Planned and executed between the decade of 1950 and mid of 1970, this enterprise consolidated itself through the creation of an Interstate Committee of the Paraná-Uruguai basin, that was called CIBPU, and was a regional planning project articulated by seven national States, under the influence the North-American experiences of the Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA.With the beginning of the works, the enterprise focuses more and more on the new organisms, such as Urubupungá Electrics Centrals, CELUSA S/A, and from 1966, The São Paulo Electrics Centrals, CESP, currently named as Energetic Company of São Paulo. These transformations design new interests of certain groups and spaces to the arising potential from the energy production, directly widening the way of thinking about how the complex creation is connected to certain political, economic, and social projects to a wide area of the country. For this analysis, permeated by a theoreticalmethodological debate about progress, development, history and memory linked to an extensive documental source of commissions and companies documents, national periodicals, audio-visual apparatus, it was presented how a series of narratives were engendered in the enterprise implementation and establishment, articulating its ideals of progress and a new image for the region, before, during, and after its completion. In this way, private interests, disputes for the legitimacy and power, and so, memories were made throughout this period and marked the Hydroelectric Complex construction until its completion in early 1970, establishing connections with landmarks of memory from the past and developments for the future.