The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) confirmed the name of the former director of the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL), Efrain Cruz, as the new executive secretary. The confirmation was published in an extra edition of the Official Gazette last Friday (17). The choice of the number two in the portfolio occurred 75 days after Minister Alexandre Silveira took office.
Efrain's choice surprised the market, since until then the most popular name to take over the position was Bruno Eustáquio, former deputy executive secretary of the MME and former executive secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure in Jair Bolsonaro's government.
In an interview after the meeting of the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) last Friday, Silveira said that there was no direct interference from Palácio do Planalto in the choice. “There was a lot of back and forth on this whole issue, but I can say that President Lula never lacked total delegation and autonomy for us to choose the team.”
With Efrain's appointment, Alexandre Silveira completes the creation of his secretary in the energy area. The minister had already confirmed the names of Pietro Mendes as Secretary of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels; Thiago Barral as Secretary of Planning and Energy Transition; and Gentil Nogueira as Secretary of Electric Energy.
Curriculum
Efrain Cruz is a lawyer, specialist in Energy Law, postgraduate in Public Law and master's degree in Law and Development. In addition to being director of ANEEL (2018 to 2022), he was director of the Rondônia Power Plants (Ceron) and the Acre Electricity Company (Eletroacre).
He was also a member of the Special Energy Commission of the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and president of the Association of Energy Regulators of Portuguese Speaking Countries (Relop).
An answer
This controversial and harmful indication for the energy sector and the country is truly discouraging! “THE BEAT IN THE ENERGY SECTOR. In his four years as director of Aneel, Efrain Cruz caused a lot of astonishment among technicians, lawyers and businesspeople in the energy sector, with decisions that contradicted technical opinions and, sometimes, the law itself.”