This article examines the transformation process undergone by the electrical system in the Para?ba Valley in the state of S?o Paulo and discusses the possibilities for developing the cities located along the transmission lines between the metropolises of Rio de Janeiro and S?o Paulo. From the 1930s to the 1950s, the Para?ba Valley went from a region whose electrical sector was fragmented and run by municipal enterprises, to one with an electrical system connected to the system of the Light company, and, finally, from the 1960s, the region began to receive its electricity from state companies. This study traces the trajectory of the electricity sector in this region and examines the relationship between this sector and economic development.El presente art?culo pretende comprender el proceso de transformaci?n delsistema el?ctrico del Valle del Para?ba paulista, discutiendo las posibilidades dedesarrollo de las ciudades que se encontraban en la conexi?n entre las urbes deR?o de Janeiro y S?o Paulo. En los a?os transcurridos entre las d?cadas de 1930y 1950, el Valle del Para?ba pas? de ser una regi?n cuyo sector el?ctrico estabafragmentado y organizado por medio de empresas municipales a integrarse alsistema interconectado de Light, para, finalmente, pasar a recibir energ?a decompa??as estatales en la d?cada de 1960. Este art?culo pretende recuperar latrayectoria del sector el?ctrico en la regi?n, estableciendo una relaci?n entreel sector el?ctrico y el desarrollo econ?mico.

Universidad del Pacífico