Fonte: ANEEL
The director of ANEEL, André Pepitone da Nóbrega, stressed the importance of the Ombudsman’s Office as a direct channel between the agency and society during the 10th National Meeting of the Ombudsmen for the Electricity Sector (ENOSE). In addition, he highlighted the key role of the ombudsman in our democratic system. “The ombudsman’s action contributes to the improvement of public administration and ensures transparency in government actions. The role of this professional rescues and strengthens the values associated with citizenship, as it opens a communication channel between consumers, the government, and public service concessionaires”, said the director.
Since Wednesday, the ombudsmen from concessionaires from across the country have been at a meeting in Caxias do Sul (RS), to address the main points of Resolution 414/2010, which addresses the rights and duties of electricity consumers, in addition to discussing practical cases from the ombudsman’s offices.
The opening of the event was also attended by the Executive Director of Rio Grande Energia (RGE), Luis Henrique Ferreira, the Sectorial Administrative Mediation Superintendent of ANEEL, Alex Sandro Feil, the Chairman of the National Ombudsmen Forum of the Electricity Sector, José Alves Tolentino, and the philosopher and professor of Ethics of the University of São Paulo, Clóvis de Barros Filho.
The ombudsman’s office of the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL) and the 11 signatory state agencies recorded 10 million claims from 2000 to April this year. On average, 6,000 calls are made every day for the Call Center, in addition as requests by letter, fax, on-site services, e-mail, and chat rooms. Approximately 90% of the electricity distribution concessionaires have an ombudsman and, of those, 65% have been operational for more than five years.
In March this year, ANEEL held a public hearing, aiming to discuss the regulation of the ombudsman’s offices of the concessionaires and permit holders of public electricity distribution services. In total, 14 contributions were received by industry agents, consumer rights associations, and the PROCON. A draft resolution will be submitted to the board of the Agency, which may make a decision or submit the matter to the open court for in-depth consideration. ENOSE ends today (10), and the end of the event, participants will decide where the next edition will be held. (PG/DB/AB)
