The year begins with river flows below the historical average; ONS can activate thermoelectric plants to meet demand

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Alert from the National Electric System Operator was made this Friday (29). The entity reported that it is monitoring the situation with ‘very close attention’. The year 2024 will begin with the flow of water in rivers, used to generate energy by hydroelectric plants, below the historical average for the wet period. The data was released by the National Electric System Operator (ONS) this Friday (29). “We are observing, for January 2024, the convergence of factors such as the prospect of high temperatures, above the average for the summer, growing load and low affluence”, stated in a note the general director of the ONS, Luiz Carlos Ciocchi. Water flow is an important indicator for the electrical system because most hydroelectric plants are run-of-river — that is, they do not have reservoirs or have reservoirs that are not very relevant. In these cases, the capacity to generate energy is directly related to the inflow of rivers. Refrigerators that consume more energy will stop being produced in the country According to Ciocchi, “this scenario is monitored very closely” because it may demand more from the system to meet peaks in energy consumption. “In these cases, it may be necessary to resort to the dispatch of thermoelectric resources to complement the load ramp at specific times”, explained the general director. Thermoelectric plants are more expensive and are usually activated by the ONS to guarantee energy supply when renewable sources cannot meet demand. When more thermoelectric plants are activated, the cost of generation increases and the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) can trigger yellow, red 1 or red 2 tariff flags, representing higher costs to the consumer. This Friday (29), Aneel announced that the tariff flag will remain green in January, at no additional cost. In a statement, the agency’s director general stated that “the signage confirms the good energy conditions in the country”. The ONS report also projects an 11.1% increase in demand for electricity in January 2024 compared to the same month in 2023, due to above-average temperatures. With the increase in temperatures, there is greater demand for energy because people use more air conditioners, fans and refrigerators, for example. In 2023, demand broke successive records because of heat waves in November. At the time, the ONS activated thermoelectric plants, but this did not represent a change in the tariff flag, which has remained green since 2022.

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