Days after the blackout that left even 3.1 million people without electricity in the city of São Paulothe Chamber of Deputies approved this Thursday (17), as a matter of urgency, a bill that grants municipalities more powers of inspection and control over electricity supply services. The matter will now be analyzed by the Federal Senate.
Bill 1,272, of 2024, amends two laws: the one that establishes rules for granting and extensions of public service concessions (Law 9,074 of 1995), and the one that established the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), responsible for regulating and monitor the sector in the country.
According to the rapporteur, deputy Cleber Verde (MDB-MA), it is the municipalities that are best able to monitor and control electricity services in their territories.
“The current centralization model in the Union and Aneel has proven insufficient to guarantee effective service. The blackout that affected 15 of the 16 municipalities in Amapá in 2023, in addition to episodes of power outages in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, are clear evidence that the current system needs to be reformed”, stated the parliamentarian.
The text of the project establishes that “[a União] may, through a cooperation agreement, accredit the States, the Federal District and the municipalities to carry out complementary inspection and control activities of the services provided in their respective territories, simply requiring the expression of will from the federated entities”.
Currently, agreements for additional inspection are only permitted with the states and the Federal District.
In another provision, the project also determines that the Federal District (DF) and municipalities must speak out during the granting and extension processes of concessions for the supply of electricity.
Blackout
Last Friday (11), heavy rains and windstorms knocked out power in several parts of the city of São Paulo. At its peak, 3.1 million inhabitants were left without electricity, with the concessionaire responsible, Enel. Restoring power has been slow and thousands of people have spent days without electricity.
Also this Thursday (17), 36 thousand customers are still without electricity in the city. This situation led to a game of pushing and shoving between authorities over responsibility for the blackout in the country’s largest city.
Electricity distribution in São Paulo was privatized in 1998. Currently, the service is the responsibility of the Italian company Enel, which acquired the concession in 2018. For experts consulted by Brazil Agencythe privatization model for electricity services has proven to be flawed.
