To promote transparency, dialogue with society and make economic agents more predictable, the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) opened yesterday, 10, public consultation (CP) with proposed guidelines for the export of electricity classifiable as interruptible without return, destined for Argentina and Uruguay. Contributions may be submitted until September 25, 2019.

The establishment of guidelines for the exportation of electric energy aims to maximize the use of regional energy resources availability among different countries with interconnected electric systems, through guiding principles and procedures that allow its operation, generating opportunities and adding benefits to agents and consumers of electricity. electricity from the countries concerned.

The proposal contemplates the exportation of electric energy from thermoelectric sources in commercial operation not dispatched by order of merit or by guarantee of energy supply, by the National Electric System Operator (ONS), to attend the National Interconnected System (SIN).

The aim is to establish, in a new way in Brazil, the mechanism of export price offer, seeking to make the sectoral agents stimulated to maximize the commercial opportunities, having a transparent, reliable and predictable regulation, with rules and conditions that attractiveness and allow for compensation through market prices.

The proposal made available in CP, when compared to the guidelines for the exportation of electricity established until December 2018 by the MME, introduces the following improvements:

Introduces the concept of market price, rather than the concept of cost dispatch, preserving bilateral relations between sectoral agents;

Adds benefits to the Brazilian consumer of electricity through the forecast reduction of System Service Charges (ESS) and the relief of fixed revenue from thermoelectric plants with contracts in the Regulated Contracting Environment (ACR);

Allows greater business opportunities for sectoral generation and trading agents;

Expands opportunities to use existing infrastructures (thermoelectric plants not dispatched to service the SIN and international interconnections);

Broad potential for amortization of international interconnection investments;

Broad potential for revenue generation associated with fuel chain for thermoelectric generation for export;

It increases flexibility and strengthens bilateral negotiations, reducing bureaucracy in the process;

Improves institutional governance of electricity exports;

Strengthens government relations with neighboring countries;

It promotes foreign exchange inflows, the generation and maintenance of employment and income.

The proposal presented adopted the Principles for Governmental Action in the Brazilian Electric Sector, established through Public Consultation MME No. 32/2017 and was the subject of discussion with the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL), Electric Energy Trading Chamber (CCEE). , National Electric System Operator (ONS) and Energy Research Company (EPE).

The assessment presented in the technical note provides benefits to the various segments of the national electricity sector, especially free and regulated Brazilian electricity consumers, thermoelectric generators, trading companies and distributors of electricity.

This is another proposal that aims to expand the possibilities of international exchanges between Brazil and neighboring countries. In the meantime, it is important to highlight that in January 2019, Ordinance MME 339/2018 came into force, which established guidelines for the importation of electricity, improved the rules and has contributed to the reduction of charges for the benefit of tariff moderation.