Fonte: ANEEL
With the objective of formalizing the regularization of rural electrification cooperatives, the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL) signed a permission contract with 38 entities and issued resolutions that encompass another 10 as authorized agents.With regularization, the cooperatives’ consumers start having the same rights and obligations as consumers of the 63 distribution concessionaires.
On the other hand, the cooperatives are submitted to legislation related to public utilities, specifically electric energy utilities, as well as to the norms and regulations issued by ANEEL, especially the obligations and charges to guarantee standards of quality and service fitness. In order to ensure compliance with these parameters, they are inspected by the Agency.
With the signing of the contracts and issuance of authorizing resolutions, the cooperatives’ consumers will begin to pay tariffs stipulated by ANEEL. Permissionaires readjust their tariffs once a year and undergo a tariff review every four years. In the case of authorized cooperatives, the methodology for applying tariff readjustments and reviews has yet to be concluded. Approval for providing service is valid for 30 years, with the possibility of an extension for an equal period, by the Conceding Power.
Permissionaire cooperatives differ from the authorized cooperatives due to their structure. The permissionaire has a defined concession area and its own distribution network, with potential for expansion. Authorized cooperatives have less infrastructure and use, for example, the closest distribution concessionaire networks. Among the permissionaires, 17 are from Santa Catarina, nine from São Paulo, eight from Rio Grande do Sul, two from Rio de Janeiro, one from Paraná and one from Sergipe. The list of authorized cooperatives shows that three are from São Paulo, three from Paraná, three from Mato Grosso do Sul and one from Rio Grande do Sul.
The regularization of cooperatives began in March 2000 with the opening of specific administrative processes for each entity. It is stipulated in Law 9.074/1995, and complemented by subsequent legislations and by ANEEL resolutions.During this period, the Agency identified 52 cooperatives that can be regularized. (DB/GL)
