The World Electricity Day, celebrated this May 29th, makes us reflect on how the Brazilian electricity system has been affected since the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020, and its resumption since then. More than a service considered essential, keeping hospitals, pharmacies, supermarkets, businesses and homes energized is a commitment to the Brazilian population to overcome this challenge.

Companies providing Operation & Maintenance services for electrical assets, for example, had to quickly adapt to hygiene and health protocols to reduce the likelihood of contagion among employees. The Cotesa Engineering, for example, had to activate its operations center in the form of constraints to separate the teams, reduce social interaction in the workplace and hence reduce the risk of contagion.

For distributors, the COVID Account represented a financial relief to the drop in revenue attributable to the pandemic, coupled with the reduction in tariff pressures in 2020 and the non-payment of bills by consumers. This gesture maintained the reputation of the electricity sector as a safe and attractive environment for investments.

Electricity consumption is directly linked to GDP growth and data from the Electric Energy Trading Chamber (CCEE) show a positive scenario. The Commerce and Services sectors, heavily impacted by COVID-19, had a significant recovery in the first half of April 2021. The consumption of electricity by the segments in the free market grew 31.2% and 45%, respectively, compared to the same period last year, which shows a resumption of activities.

Another positive news is the return of energy generation auctions, after cancellation in 2020 due to Covid-19 and the uncertainties of market growth. The first is certainly scheduled for June 25, with the A-3 and A-4 new energy auctions, and in September they would be of the “A-5” and “A-6” type. According to a schedule released by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), by 2023, up to eight auctions of “new” energy will be held, that is, generated by plants that are yet to be built.

This commemorative date, which promotes awareness of energy efficiency and the rational use of energy, this year also adds to the recognition of the electricity sector for overcoming this challenge.

* João Junklaus, president of Cotesa Engineering