In a public session held this Monday (25/10), 17 enterprises, totaling 1,221 MW, won the Simplified Competitive Procedure of 2021 for contracting electricity generation. There are two photovoltaic solar plants, a wood chip thermoelectric plant and 14 natural gas thermoelectric plants. According to registered projects, the winning plants will be installed in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rondônia.

The average selling price was R$343.22/MWh for the quantity product and R$1,599.57/MWh for the availability product. In the case of natural gas-fired thermoelectric plants, the declared average CVU is BRL 685.00/MWh, a level lower than the variable costs of the plants that are currently being called to operate to contribute to the reliability of the system and the preservation of water resources .

The contracting of capacity reserve aims to preserve the continuity and security of electricity supply to consumers of the National Interconnected System (SIN). The contracting was carried out in the form of reserve energy and the supply should be made between May 2022 and December 2025. The contracted resources will contribute to the strengthening of the system and the recovery of the levels of the reservoirs of the hydroelectric plants, with prices lower than the currently practiced in the additional resources triggered.

The possibility of contracting capacity reserve through a simplified competitive procedure as an emergency measure to optimize the use of hydroenergy resources and to face the current situation of water scarcity was provided for in Provisional Measure No. 1,055, of June 28, 2021, and determined by Resolution No. 4 of the Chamber of Exceptional Rules for Hydroenergy Management (CREG), of September 9, 2021. Thus, the contracting of reserve energy reached by the auction represents a complementary measure to the various other actions that have already been adopted since October 2020, in order to ensure the continuity and safety of electricity supply in the country.

In order to address one of the main challenges in the implementation of plants contracted in a tight period, the performance of environmental licensing bodies will be crucial. According to Resolution No. 4 of CREG, the Ministry of the Environment must, in conjunction with other competent bodies and entities, adopt the necessary measures so that the environmental licensing of the contracted projects takes place within a compatible period to provide an increase in the energy supply electricity in the country.

The bidding was promoted by the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) and carried out by the Electric Energy Commercialization Chamber (CCEE) based on guidelines and systematic established by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) through Normative Ordinance No. 24/GM /MME/2021. The contracting demand was defined by the MME based on the quantification of energy and power requirements of the electric system until 2025 contained in the studies carried out by the Energy Research Company (EPE) and by the National System Operator (ONS), from the perspective of planning the expansion and planning of the operation, considering the assessment of the service conditions of the National Interconnected System (SIN), as monitored by the Electric Sector Monitoring Committee (CMSE).