CCEE's report shows accelerated growth in new consumers in the ACL (Free Contracting Environment) and forecasts the addition of another 9,200 in the first half of 2026.
The migration of consumers to the free energy market maintained an accelerated pace in 2025 and confirmed the consolidation of the Free Contracting Environment (ACL) as the main driver of transformation in the Brazilian electricity sector.
A report released by the Chamber of Electric Energy Commercialization (CCEE) indicates that the entry processes of 21.707 new consumers into the ACL (Free Contracting Environment) were completed throughout the year, reinforcing the expansion trend observed since the opening of the market to smaller units.
The volume of migrations in 2025 was well above that recorded in 2023, when the total was 7.397 consumer units, and occurs after the jump observed in 2024, which accounted for 26.834 migrations. Compared to 2023, the growth reaches 193%, according to the entity.
sustained growth
CCEE's survey shows that migration to the ACL was distributed throughout the year, with consistent monthly volumes. In 2025, the highest peaks were recorded in January (3.017 migrations) and November (3.136), while December ended the year with 1.083 new entries.
The annual performance reinforces the perception that the movement has ceased to be a one-off event and has become part of the regular dynamics of energy contracting by consumers.
In recent history, the year 2024 stands out as an outlier in total volume, with 26,8 migrations. Even so, the figure of 21,7 consumers in 2025 confirms a structurally higher level than that observed before the market opened to smaller consumers.
Total number of consumers reaches 85,4.
The increase in migrations also raised the total number of consumers registered with CCEE. In January 2024, the number was 40.566 consumer units, rising to 48.910 in June and 64.475 in December.
In 2025, the curve continued to rise: the year began with 67.436 registered consumers, reached 77.993 in June, and ended December with 85.450 consumers.
Despite the increase in the number of agents, average monthly consumption showed more moderate variations. In December 2024, the recorded consumption was 28.043 MW average, reaching 29.903 MW average in January 2025 and closing December at 28.476 MW average.
Retail accounts for 81% of migrations.
The retail model remained the main gateway for new consumers into the free market. According to CCEE, 81% of migrations in 2025 occurred via retail representatives, compared to 19% in the non-retail model.
In absolute terms, the entity points out that migrations by retailers reached 17.495 consumer units in 2025. For comparison, this number was 1.103 in 2023 and jumped to 19.864 in 2024, highlighting the rapid consolidation of the segment.
The study also presents the division between existing and new players in the trading environment. In 2025, 3.499 migrations were recorded by existing players and 713 by new players, in addition to the aforementioned volume from retail.
Small consumers dominate the movement.
The fragmentation of migrations is one of the main highlights of the report. In 2025, 93% of migrations were from consumers with loads of 0,5 MW or less, while only 7% had loads above that level.
The data confirms a structural change in the profile of the free market, which historically was dominated by large industries and energy-intensive consumers. In 2023, for example, consumers above 0,5 MW still represented 33% of migrations, a percentage that fell to 8% in 2024 and to 7% in 2025.
Another indicator of the growth of this new audience is the increase in individual customers. CCEE recorded 370 migrations by CPF (Brazilian individual taxpayer registration number) in 2025, compared to 339 in 2024, an increase of 9%.
Services and commerce lead by sector.
Among the branches of activity, the service sector was the one that migrated the most in 2025, with 6.648 consumer units, followed by commerce, with 4.098. In third place is the food segment, with 1.940 migrations, and then sanitation, with 1.790.
The list also includes various manufactured goods (1.780), non-metallic minerals (904), metallurgy and metal products (665) and wood, paper and pulp (433).
The category “API” (Application Programming Interface) appears with 2.029 migrations, but the report highlights that it is not yet possible to detail the business sector of these migrations carried out in the new retail management model.
Some migrations made by retail trading companies have started to occur through this new digital integration model, and CCEE (Brazilian Chamber of Electric Energy Commercialization) is not always able to accurately identify the business sector of the end consumer (commerce, industry, services, etc.) in the same traditional format.
São Paulo leads, but the North and Northeast regions are gaining traction.
The survey by federative unit maintains São Paulo in the lead for migrations in 2025, with 6.114 new consumer units in the free market. Paraná (2.214) and Minas Gerais (1.743) follow.
The study also highlights the growing interest in ACL in states in the North and Northeast, such as Ceará (872), Mato Grosso (821) and Pará (690). Other regional highlights include Rio Grande do Sul (1.581), Rio de Janeiro (1.344) and Bahia (881).
Prospect of further progress in 2026
In addition to the 2025 balance sheet, CCEE points to expectations of continued growth. The study indicates a forecast of more than 9.200 new consumers joining the market in the first half of 2026, considering estimates of migration requests and contract terminations.
The document emphasizes that the numbers may differ from previously published results, as they include recounts, changes in ownership, deactivations, and terminations of agents.
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