Fonte: ANEEL
The National Energy Agency (ANEEL) wants to regulate, in the second half of 2011, the pre-payment modality of energy bills, such as mobile telephony service where the consumer pays in advance and sets a value to use his or her cell phone. The deposit will be one more option to the consumer. The proposal, in preparation, will be available for participation in society, through public consultation to collect contributions and improve the draft.
Subsequently, the Public Hearing will be held to help build the new regulation. It is also provided an international workshop to exchange information and discussions with agents, industry experts, consumer protection agencies and other entities on the experiences of other countries. During the studies for implementation of prepayment, the Agency will analyze the tax benefits that this option could represent.
The adoption of pre-payment of energy in Brazil also depends on the issuance of metrological regulations for appropriate measuring devices, question studied by the National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (INMETRO), with participation by ANEEL.
The pre-payment of energy is used in several countries such as UK, USA, France, Australia, Mozambique, South Africa and more recently in South American countries like Peru, Colombia and Argentina. This mode gives consumers a better management of their energy consumption, the possibility of monitoring the consumption in real time and informs through beeps and lights when the credits are near depletion. Research conducted in Colombia and Argentina show great acceptance and customer satisfaction, with over 80%.
In Brazil, the first initiative came in 2005, with authorization from ANEEL for AMPLA Energia e Serviços S/A to deploy thebilling system in the prepaid modality, on a trial basis, in order to respond to consumers located in its concession area in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In rural areas, especially in remote areas of difficult access, Centrais Elétricas do Pará S/A (CELPA) and Amazonas Distribuidora de Energia S.A. (ADES) were allowed to adopt the modality in isolated communities to evaluate outcomes related to cost reduction with services such as reading, delivery of invoices, suspension and reconnection, factors that contribute to mitigate the impact of rates to consumers.
In the same year, ANEEL issued Normative Resolution No. 384 and inserted the possibility of attending the provisional consumer units located in slums. The objective was to reduce the risk of injury and accidents to people, property or premises of the electrical system, and also fight the irregular consumption of energy, allowing the adoption of the pre-payment system, upon submission of justifications for evaluation and authorization of ANEEL, and the request or express consent of the competent public authority. This standard has been incorporated in full by Normative Resolution No. 414/2010, which is why it is not characterized as an innovation, for it had already been in force since December 2009. (MB/GL/FA/RR)
