The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, said this Saturday (27) that Light’s energy distribution concession may not be renewed after the constant power outages on Ilha do Governador, in the northern part of Rio, and also on Ilha de Paquetá, located in Guanabara Bay.
According to the minister, the company has made commitments to guarantee uninterrupted supply.
“The answer I give here is objective. There will be no leniency if the commitments made are not met with the society of Ilha do Governador. Since the beginning of the problems, we have worked directly with Light. The concessionaire has made commitments to ensure that these are met as quickly as possible. I advised them to be realistic with the deadlines because this could jeopardize the future of the concession. We will demand that the distributors arrive with energy and guarantee dignity to the people. I hope that today is truly a turning point and that the private sector fully understands the rules that are in place,” said Silveira, who was with Mayor Eduardo Paes and the board of directors of Light, at the concessionaire’s substation in the Tauá neighborhood.
On the 14th, a blackout hit Governador Island, which lasted about two hours. In some places, the power took longer to return.
Mayor Eduardo Paes criticized the company’s delay in solving the problems. “Some meetings have already been held between the city government and Light and we have seen a certain amount of pushing and procrastination on Light’s part. I have heard the explanations, but the island’s population is rightly outraged and it is unacceptable that we allow this to continue happening. This is a good time, because I know that there is a demand for the renewal of the concession. Our role is to demand, pressure and ask that the Ministry be tough with Light.”
Light
Light CEO Alexandre Ferreira Nogueira said the blackouts are caused by illegal connections and fraud in the distribution network. He promised to maintain the power generation capacity until the construction work is completed in November.
“Today we have two new power transmission feeders on Governador Island and we will build a third feeder later. Our commitment is to have teams mobilized here on the island, a very specific contingent to quickly carry out maneuvers in the event of a power outage. Light’s commitment is to carry out the structural works and maintain power on Governador Island,” he said.
Customers who have suffered damage to their electrical and electronic devices can visit Light branches on Ilha do Governador or access the website agenciavirtual.light.com.br. The request must be made by the account holder, with the invoice for the damaged device or a quote from an authorized company. After the request, the utility company analyzes the information provided by the customer, checks the history of incidents in its system and sends a response to the consumer.
