Decisions by the CMSE (Electricity Sector Monitoring Committee) authorizing the dispatch of power plants to guarantee energy supply will now follow a standardized procedure, requiring prior technical studies, assessment of economic impacts, and public disclosure of the information that supports each decision.
The new guidelines were established by the MME (Ministry of Mines and Energy) through CMSE Resolution No. 1, published in this Wednesday's edition (8) of the DOU (Official Gazette of the Union), with the aim of increasing the transparency and traceability of decisions related to the security of electricity supply.
The regulation organizes the entire process that precedes the authorization of dispatches for energy guarantees – a mechanism used when it is necessary to reinforce the reliability of the SIN (National Interconnected System), regardless of the economic order of operation of the power plants.
From now on, each decision must be supported by technical and financial analyses produced by different institutions in the electricity sector before being submitted to the committee for deliberation.
Studies based
Among the main changes is the requirement for the ONS (National Electric System Operator) to present a set of prospective studies before authorizing any dispatch or reviewing an existing authorization.
The analyses should consider the system's serviceability, the expected gains in reservoir storage, the impacts on the reliability of the National Interconnected System (SIN), the technical justification for adopting the measure, and, whenever possible, a comparison with available operational alternatives.
The results obtained from previous decisions should also be evaluated, allowing verification of whether the initially planned objectives were effectively achieved.
In addition to the technical information produced by the ONS (National System Operator), the CCEE (Chamber of Electric Energy Commercialization) will be responsible for preparing estimates of the financial impacts associated with the proposed measures.
The studies should differentiate between the effects on both the ACR (Regulated Contracting Environment) and the ACL (Free Contracting Environment), allowing the CMSE (Committee for Monitoring the Electricity Sector) to have a more comprehensive view before deciding on the activation of the power plants.
Reference curve
The resolution also formalizes the use of the CRef (Reference Storage Curve) as a tool to support the committee's decisions.
Under the new rules, the ONS (National System Operator) will be responsible for preparing an annual study proposing the reference curve for the following year.
The proposal must be submitted by November, while approval by the CMSE (Committee for Monitoring the Electricity Sector) must occur by December, allowing the parameter to be available before the start of each new operational cycle.
CRef will serve as one of the main technical benchmarks for evaluating the need for energy guarantee dispatches, complementing other prospective studies produced by the operator.
Standardized disclosure
Another aspect of the resolution addresses the publicity of the decisions. Each dispatch authorization must be formalized through a specific act containing, at a minimum, the technical justification, the subsystems involved, the period of validity of the authorization, and the maximum authorized generation limit.
The decisions will be published in a public notice on the Ministry of Mines and Energy's website within two days of the CMSE meeting, and will take effect on the date of publication.
The regulation also stipulates that the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) must maintain a specific page to make available the studies that support each decision, in addition to the reports produced subsequently to evaluate its results, reinforcing the principle of transparency established by the resolution.
Methodologies
The resolution expands access to information not only about the decisions themselves, but also about how they are made.
The ONS (National System Operator) will have up to 180 days to publish the methodology used in preparing the prospective studies submitted to the CMSE (Committee for Monitoring the Electricity Sector), as well as any future updates deemed relevant. This measure aims to provide greater predictability for agents in the electricity sector and allow for more detailed monitoring of the assumptions used by the operator.
annual evaluation
The new governance model also provides for an ongoing process to monitor authorized dispatches.
Annually, by the third ordinary meeting of the CMSE, the ONS must present a report comparing the projected results with those actually observed, including the volumes of generation dispatched, the effects on reservoir storage, and any recommendations for improving procedures.
In parallel, CCEE will be responsible for consolidating the effective costs arising from these decisions, specifying their impacts on the regulated and free contracting environments.
The reports will be forwarded to the institutions that comprise the CMSE to support methodological revisions and improvements in the planning of the operation of the Brazilian electrical system.
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