The Federal Government is working to provide measures to guarantee the adequate electro-energy supply to the Brazilian population in the face of the new coronavirus pandemic.

The Minister of State for Mines and Energy instituted, through Ordinance 117 / GM, of March 18, 2020, the Sectorial Crisis Committee, within the scope of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), to articulate, coordinate, monitor , guide and supervise the measures and measures to be adopted by the MME, by the related bodies and entities, as well as by the agents of the sectors whose activities are regulated by the Agencies related to this Portfolio.

Since then, MME teams have worked together with the Ministry of Economy (ME), the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) and energy distribution companies to establish exceptional measures to be taken during the Covid-19 pandemic. The objective is to build solutions for the benefit of electricity consumers, allowing them to go through this moment of crisis by ensuring the supply of electricity, ensuring the safety of employees of companies and energy consumers and preserving the economic and financial sustainability of the electricity sector. In this sense, ANEEL approved, in an extraordinary meeting of its board of directors, held by videoconference, a package of special measures valid for 90 days (Link: https://bit.ly/3drFQdm).

The set of measures includes the suspension of cuts in the electricity service due to default for residential consumers and essential services for a period of 90 days, maintaining, however, the obligation for consumers to pay energy bills in the period. It was also established that the distributors prioritize the supply of energy to services and activities considered essential, as dealt with in Decree nº 10.282, of 2020, in addition to providing for the flexibility of some obligations of the energy distributors related to the on-site service of consumers, necessary to ensure the safety of employees and consumers of electricity.