Government wants to encourage less energy use

The federal government must create incentives for greater efficiency in energy consumption at the time the full charge of the country hit records followed. Among the measures under discussion is more flexibility for large consumers to resell part of the contracted energy. The decision, however, still depends on a seam policy to be adopted. Despite the adoption of distributors and large consumers of electricity, the government fears that the decision results in conclusions which refer to the rationing of 2001, when similar measures are taken.

In a meeting last Thursday, February 25, between the National Agency of Electrical Energy (Aneel) and the Board of Electric Energy Commercialization (CCEE), decided to accelerate studies and decision. Although the agency has the autonomy to take such measures, the perception is that the political risk should be defined actions under the National Energy Policy (herewith), including the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME). The possibility has already been presented at previous meetings CNPE.

There are two measures under discussion. The first is the possibility of an award for the company to agree to have their supply reduced when the price of energy in the short term, the Settlement Price Differences (PLD). That is, the company that wants to have a 5% discount on the price of your fare would accept that if the LDP had reached R $ 200, she would be forced to reduce their consumption by 4%. If he did not do such a reduction would suffer penalties.

This possibility would be impractical for a steel plant, for example, it is more complicated turn off or reduce the production of a blast furnace. But in the case of metals and textiles, for example, savings can be significant for the risk of having reduced supply. As output of these industries is more fragmented, the reduction of a small portion of production can be viable, the cost reduction front.

The second measure under discussion is the "avoided cost" which would be the possibility of acquisition by the National System Operator (ONS) or the CCEE, energy not consumed when the price is high. That is, when power consumption is too high, the government could buy back energy companies agreed to cut consumption. That would be an alternative to the previous firing thermal power plants, which have higher price of generation. Thus, large consumers could even collaborate with a lower rate from the regulated market, because its decision would prevent the firing of thermals.

In 2008, spending U.S. $ 2.4 billion for the equivalent of 1500 MW generated by power plants, which amounted to 3% charge of the National Interconnected System (SIN). The total charge of large consumers, with demand greater than 500 kW, was 33 000 MW. Therefore, if large consumers could sell energy equivalent to 5% of its consumption by the price of PLD, there is no need to use the thermal explains Edvaldo Santana, director of Aneel.

For him, this measure "the economy would hardly be affected, because the 5% reduction in consumption is very little" to the cost of thermal power. In that case, the tariff in the regulated market would not be high for the higher cost of thermal drive and would have less CO2 emissions, he says.

The understanding is that the government act on the demand for energy can be simpler and more efficient than acting only on offer, with the construction and deployment of new plants. Furthermore, depending on model generation, stimulate supply can mean up to increase power rates - if it occurs through renewables, more expensive, for example.

The idea, says Santana, is to act on demand with incentives to large customers who can reduce energy use, increase the economic efficiency of the load. He points out that both measures have already been tested and adopted in other markets around the world. "In all cases, it is important that the general consumer will always volunteer to decide whether to resell the power or not," said Santana.

The renegotiation of the contracted energy has been allowed in Brazil after the energy rationing in 2001. That year, the companies had committed to reducing 20% consumption. Then there was the "energy certificates," which were OTC bilateral contracts between consumers.

Those who could not reduce consumption by over 20% could acquire these certificates of companies that save beyond the target. That lasted a few months until the end of rationing, the following year. The idea currently under discussion moves to a standard certificate that companies could negotiate on the open market.

The consumer expectation is that the possibility of renegotiation of contracted energy also takes more transparency in energy market, and give you more liquidity.

Since 2008, the Ministry of Mines and Energy has almost completed a draft bill to free consumers can sell surplus energy. That year, the idea was to put the draft for public consultation, which never occurred. Now, CNPE would have more political backing to make the decision. The council, part nine ministries, a representative of the states, the Energy Research Company (EPE), the CCEE and Aneel.

For the Brazilian Association of Large Industrial Consumers and Free Consumers Energy (Embrace), the adoption of any such measure is positive. "This would lead consumers to a passive condition for active management in terms of energy demand," says Ricardo Lima, president of the association. If you can resell the energy, consumers could not only manage the use of their charges, how to make consumption more efficient, he says.

In moments like this, probably the industry would have some flexibility to sell power under these conditions, says Lima, Embrace. He notes that the cost of thermal generation currently is perverse, because all are bound to banking it, without being able to act to reduce their influence. In January, the energy consumption in the country set a record with a load of 33 718 GWh, an increase of 9.1% over the same month of 2009, according to EPE. According to the ONS, five daily consumption records were broken in January.

Source: Economic Value