Consolidated data by the Electric Energy Trading Chamber - CCEE point to a 2.7% growth in both energy generation and consumption in the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to the same three months of 2019. The period recorded the largest positive changes in all last year.

The production of hydroelectric plants fell 1.4% in relation to the same period of the previous year. The photovoltaic solar decreased by 1.3%. Thermal generation had a growth of 14.7% and reached the mark of 16,699 average MW. Wind farms generated 3% more in the period, reaching 7,641 MW. In total, 67,436 average MW were generated in the National Interconnected System - SIN.

In the view of consumption, the Free Contracting Environment (ACL) grew 10.5% in the months from October to December, compared to 2019. This expansion was due not only to the increase in production, notably in electro-intensive sectors, such as the extraction of metallic minerals, textiles, non-metallic minerals and metallurgy and metal products, as well as the increased migration of consumers from the Regulated Contracting Environment (ACR). In the year, there were 1,522 new consumers who joined the segment.

In the ACR, there was a negative variation of 0.7%. Total consumption in the period was 67,385 average MW.

December Results 

According to the consolidated data of CCEE, in the last month of the year, both consumption and power generation increased by 4.6% in the annual comparison, totaling 67,687 average MW. The highlight was the production by wind farms, which grew 12.9%, and thermoelectric plants, which rose 30.1%.

Consumption, in turn, was driven by the 14.5% increase in the free market. In the regulated environment there was also a slight increase, of 0.6%, compared to December 2019.