Minister Silveira says PF conducts inquiry into attacks on power towers

The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, said this Tuesday (17th) that it is not possible to say that the recent attacks on power transmission towers are politically motivated and are linked to acts of vandalism in Brasília on the 8th According to him, the Federal Police is conducting investigations into the occurrences against the electrical sector installations and signaled that there will be an improvement to reinforce security.

“We cannot make that statement,” said the minister when asked if there was identification of political motivation for the attacks, after meeting with representatives of the PF, the Federal Highway Police, the National Electric System Operator (ONS), the National Energy Agency (Aneel) and transmission companies.

“What we can say is that, due to the fact that several events converge in its action, we understand it is good to be proactive and anticipate possible more serious problems using all the surveillance instruments. sense of contributing so that advanced technologies were implemented very quickly in order to provide security to the transmission network”, he said.

Until Monday (16), seven occurrences of acts against the transmission facilities were recorded. In total, four towers were demolished in Rondônia and Paraná. Acts of vandalism were also recorded, without falling towers, in São Paulo and Paraná. The situation has been monitored by a joint monitoring office since last week. The minister pointed out that the attacks did not cause problems or interruption in services to the population.

According to the minister, the meeting also served to discuss fundamental questions about the security of the national transmission system and that there will be an effort to improve monitoring. The measures, according to him, will still be disclosed.

“The situation is under control, actions are being taken. Brazilian society can contribute a lot to the surveillance of this heritage and everything that can be done by the Public Power will be done with all the vigor and rigor that the case requires”, he said, stating that he is sure that Brazilian society will be protected and that the government cannot be passive in any moment in the situation.

Companies operating in the sector, according to Silveira, should also contribute to security measures. “There is a great deal of goodwill from all the players in this system, with the implementation of video surveillance, surveillance via drone and other very modern instruments, and this event is serving as an opportunity for us to advance in the security of this great asset”, he said, citing the use of cameras in the towers and drones to monitor heritage preservation.

The minister reinforced that those who pay for the transmission system are the electricity users. According to him, those responsible for the attacks will legally pay and also compensate for the damage caused. Silveira also highlighted the participation of state security agencies and stated that he called on governors.

“We are completely sure that it is fully possible to investigate specific facts and carry on with normal life, so that we can improve the electrical system and respond to so many demands”, he said. “There is a quest to improve security in the transmission system, that was very clear. And there is a prompt response from the Brazilian State in relation to these acts that anger all of us, as they are an attack on national sovereignty.”