Accumulated energy losses due to operational restrictions in the SIN (National Interconnected System) – known in the sector as curtailment – are already approaching 50 million MWh, according to a survey by ePowerBay.
This volume would be enough to supply approximately 26 million Brazilian homes for a year. The estimate considers the average residential consumption in the country, which is around 160 kWh per month, according to data from EPE (Energy Research Company) and... ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency).
According to ePowerBay, in January 2026 alone, losses totaled 2,86 million MWh, a volume 45% higher than that recorded in December, when cuts were around 1,96 million MWh. In the first month of the year, the largest share of restrictions occurred due to CNF (Conditional Non-Financial) issues. (constrained-off), which totaled more than 1,26 million MWh, corresponding to 44,1% of the total.
This type of cut occurs when the ONS (National Electric System Operator) limits the generation of power plants for operational or system security reasons, usually associated with bottlenecks in the transmission network or the need to balance energy supply and demand.
Losses classified as ENE (unflowed energy) accounted for 31,6% of the restrictions recorded in the month. In this case, curtailment occurs when the generated energy cannot be transported to consumption centers due to a lack of available capacity in the transmission network, forcing the operator to reduce generation from the power plants.
Meanwhile, restrictions associated with REL (electrical restriction) accounted for 24,3% of losses in January. This type of outage is linked to electrical limitations in the system, such as equipment maintenance, line unavailability, or specific network operating conditions. Unlike other types of restrictions, outages classified as REL are reimbursed to generators through ESS (System Service Charges).
In the historical accumulated figures, the main cause of restriction continues to be ENE, which totals 22,8 million MWh (47%), followed by CNF, with 19,5 million MWh (40%), and REL, which totals 6,3 million MWh (13%).
Check out the full ePowerBay study by clicking here. here
Curtailment and flow reversal caused the Brazilian solar market to shrink by 29% in 2025.
all the content of Canal Solar is protected by copyright law, and partial or total reproduction of this site in any medium is expressly prohibited. If you are interested in collaborating or reusing part of our material, please contact us by email: redacao@canalsolar.com.br.
Answers of 2
Wind and sun, which are free, generate wind and solar energy, replacing hydroelectric plants that have dams that confine water.
They should have a 50% reduction in the final selling price based on the value per kW.
We have over 300 wind farms in Bahia, and there is surplus energy consumption in private homes.
Nothing is free.