In a lightning-fast vote that lasted less than eight minutes and took place off the agenda, the Senate's Infrastructure Committee (CI) approved a bill that could generate extra costs on Brazilian consumers' electricity bills.
Bill 5.017/2019, which originally dealt with granting discounts on electricity tariffs for irrigation and aquaculture activities, ended up incorporating some devices (“tortoises”) that determine the compulsory contracting of new power generation plants.
The report was presented by Senator Hermes Klann (PL-SC), who was appointed rapporteur just hours before the vote. Among the changes included are the mandatory contracting of 2,5 GW in natural gas-fired thermal power plants and 4,9 GW in small hydroelectric plants (PCHs).
According to the rapporteur, the contracting of thermal power plants fueled by natural gas aims to reinforce the security of energy supply in the Northern Region, which historically faces challenges related to generation costs, system reliability, and the seasonality of river basins.
The proposal, however, comes at a time when the Northern Region has already been receiving investments in battery energy storage systems to increase the reliability of supply, especially in locations with greater vulnerability in electricity service.
It is worth noting, however, that despite the approval, the document is not yet final, as it will also need to be analyzed by the full Senate.
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