Consumers will not pay extra fees on their electricity bills in March. The National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) maintained the green flag for the next month for all consumers connected to the National Interconnected System (SIN).
The electricity bill has been without these fees since the end of the water scarcity flag, which lasted from September 2021 until mid-April 2022. According to Aneel, at the time the green flag was chosen due to the favorable conditions for power generation, with the reservoirs of the hydroelectric plants at satisfactory levels.
If the other flags were instituted, the electricity bill would reflect the readjustment of up to 64% of the tariff flags approved in June 2022 by Aneel. According to the agency, the increases reflected inflation and the higher cost of thermoelectric plants this year, due to the rise in oil and natural gas prices in recent months.
Flags
Created in 2015 by Aneel, the tariff flags reflect the variable costs of generating electricity. Divided into levels, the flags indicate how much it is costing the SIN to generate the energy used in homes, commercial establishments and industries.
When the electricity bill is calculated by the green flag, there is no increase. When the red or yellow flags are applied, the account is increased, ranging from R$ 2,989 (yellow flag) to R$ 9,795 (red flag level 2) for every 100 kilowatt-hours (kWh) consumed. When the water scarcity flag was in effect from September 2021 to April 15, 2022, the consumer paid an extra R$ 14.20 for every 100 kWh.
The National Interconnected System is divided into four subsystems: Southeast/Midwest, South, Northeast and North. Practically the entire country is covered by the SIN. The exception is some parts of states in the North Region and Mato Grosso, in addition to the entire state of Roraima.
Currently, there are 212 isolated locations on the SIN, where consumption is low and represents less than 1% of the country’s total load. The demand for energy in these regions is supplied mainly by diesel oil thermal plants.
