Eletrobras may bring forward resources to alleviate energy tariffs, says CEO – 07/12/2023 – Market

Eletrobras may negotiate with the government an anticipation of the contribution of resources aimed at relieving energy tariffs, said the company’s CEO, Wilson Ferreira Júnior, at a press conference this Wednesday (12).

He clarified, however, that there is no agreement with the Union for this to be done in exchange for a withdrawal by the government of the action in the STF (Supreme Federal Court) that questions devices for the privatization of the company.

“There is no agreement being made based on this alternative”, said Ferreira Júnior, pondering that, in other contexts, there have already been conversations with the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, about a possible anticipation of resources for the CDE (Conta de Energy Development), given the government’s concern with energy tariffs.

“We keep this here as a permanent assessment, so that at some point, if it is in the interest of the government, we can have some kind of negotiations… At the right time, if it is of interest, we will evaluate it,” he added.

Within the scope of the privatization process, Eletrobras agreed to transfer approximately R$ 32 billion to the CDE, the main charge charged on consumers’ electricity bills, for the purpose of tariff reasonableness, until 2047.

The main disbursement, of R$ 5 billion, was carried out last year, with amounts decreasing considerably until the end of the schedule.

Recently, news emerged that there would be negotiations to accelerate these disbursements in exchange for a waiver by the AGU (Attorney General of the Union) of the action aimed at expanding the government’s decision-making power at Eletrobras —the Union questions its submission to the rule that limits 10 % the voting power of any shareholder in the company.

ENERGY TRADING

Still in a press conference, Ferreira Júnior highlighted perspectives considered promising for Eletrobras in the commercialization of energy in the free market, an area that gained relevance for the company after privatization, with the decoding of a large volume of energy from its hydroelectric plants.

According to the CEO, the new trader, linked to the holding, “will create a lot of value” for the company, one of the advantages being the possibility of taking advantage of tax credits.

“Our assessment is that, just with the theme of commercialization, in the next 10 years we will be able to absorb practically a third of these R$ 15 billion (in tax credits in the holding company)… It has a convenience”, he explained.

He also pointed out that Eletrobras is increasing its customer base, having gone from 31 to 132 free consumers in one year, boosting its “sales force” through its subsidiaries, which have a “relevant regional presence” among business customers.

Although the focus on commercialization is the “corporate” customer, already qualified to contract energy directly from a supplier, Eletrobras will also start preparing to serve low voltage customers, who in the future should also be able to migrate to the free energy market, said Ferreira Junior.

CREEK 3

The Eletrobras CEO also defended the completion of the Angra 3 nuclear power plant, assessing that the venture is strategic for Brazil in terms of reliability and that it, alone, will not exacerbate the scenario of oversupply of energy in the country in the coming years.

“We are waiting for this BNDES study to be concluded in August and for us to have it forwarded to the CNPE (National Council for Energy Policy) in September,” he said.

Designed with 1.4 gigawatt (GW) of power, Angra 3 had its works started in the 1980s, but over the years they were paralyzed and restarted a few times. Currently, the total physical progress of the development is 65%.

Now, the BNDES is expected to finish the modeling studies that will base the continuity of the works on the plant and the definition of a tariff for the energy to be generated by the enterprise, which will need to be validated by the CNPE. The selection of an EPCist to complete the project is scheduled for 2024, according to the schedule presented by Eletrobras.

Despite the fact that nuclear energy was left out of Eletrobras after privatization, there are still questions that link the former state company with Angra.

GREEN HYDROGEN

Eletrobras’ large renewable energy generating park projects the company as a potential relevant player in the global green hydrogen market, said Wilson Ferreira Júnior.

The executive commented that the company is analyzing operating in new markets, such as hydrogen, and said that capital allocation will be a “challenge” for the company, given the large number of profitable opportunities in the market.

“We have to be very focused and disciplined to take advantage of opportunities”, said Ferreira Júnior.