Almost one-sixth of the energy injected into the grid was lost or stolen last year, he says. ANEEL

Electrical energy losses continue to represent one of the biggest challenges for the Brazilian electricity sector, according to data presented by... ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency) this Thursday (2).

The figures reveal that approximately 14,3% of all energy injected into distribution networks last year did not reach the end consumer, either due to unavoidable reasons related to the system's operation, or due to theft, fraud, and other irregularities.

Of this total, 7,2% corresponds to technical losses, while 7,1% are non-technical losses, popularly known as "theft" or "illegal connections." Although they represent practically the same volume of energy, the two categories have quite different causes and treatments, since not all the energy generated manages to reach consumers in its entirety.

During transmission through transmission lines, passage through transformers, and the measurement process, a portion of the electricity is naturally dissipated due to the laws of physics.

These are known as technical losses, present in any electrical system in the world. In 2025, they represented approximately 45,2 TWh – equivalent to 7,2% of the energy injected into the distribution networks.

In the Basic Network, responsible for transmitting high-voltage energy between power plants and consumer centers, these losses corresponded to approximately 2,04% of the energy generated. The associated cost is divided equally between generators (50%) and consumers (50%), and is considered annually in tariff processes.

According to calculations based on the average energy price used in 2025 tariffs, technical losses in distribution networks represented an approximate cost of R$ 11,7 billion, not including taxes. The tariff recognition of losses in the Basic Network totaled approximately R$ 1,5 billion.

Because they are inherent to the operation of the electrical system, these losses are calculated by ANEEL Based on efficiency criteria, these costs end up being incorporated into the tariffs. Therefore, significant reductions in this type of loss are not expected.

Theft and fraud account for the other half of the losses.

The avoidable portion of losses lies in so-called non-technical losses. These are mainly caused by illegal connections, energy theft, meter tampering, fraud, as well as errors in reading, measurement, and billing. These are the cases popularly known as "theft of electricity".

In 2025, these losses reached 45 TWh, equivalent to 7,1% of the injected energy, practically the same volume as the technical losses.

The financial impact, however, is significant. Considering the levels actually recorded in the country, the real non-technical losses represented an estimated cost of R$ 11,5 billion.

Although distributors may recognize some of these losses in tariffs, this pass-through is subject to limits defined by regulation.

In concession contracts, the ANEEL It establishes regulatory percentages for technical and non-technical losses during the periodic tariff review processes, carried out every four or five years.

These percentages are set individually for each distributor and take into account the characteristics of the concession area.

In 2025, non-technical losses recognized by regulation represented approximately R$ 7,9 billion, equivalent to 3,1% of the required revenue of distributors and 9,7% of Parcel B, a tariff component that remunerates the operational costs of the companies.

Since the actual cost of non-technical losses was estimated at R$ 11,5 billion, the difference between the actual loss and the amount recognized by regulators must be absorbed by the distributors.

Large dealerships account for the biggest losses.

Non-technical losses are mainly concentrated in the larger distribution companies, with a market exceeding 700 GWh per year.

Among them, two cases stand out. Light and Amazonas Energia alone account for 31,2% of all non-technical losses in Brazil, although they serve only 5,8% of the Brazilian low-voltage market.

According to the survey, the levels of these losses vary according to factors such as the socioeconomic conditions of the areas served, behavioral aspects of the population, and the efficiency of the concessionaires' management.

Even though some of the losses are recognized by regulation, distributors have a strong economic incentive to combat them.

This is because, when actual losses exceed the regulatory limit defined by ANEELIf the concessionaire operates below this limit, it may absorb the loss. Conversely, if it manages to operate below this limit, it can capture financial gains.

In practice, this encourages investment in oversight, combating fraud, and improving measurement and billing processes.

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