THE Ministry of Mines and Energy held this Tuesday (21) a auction contracting power capacity and electric energy reserve from new and existing thermoelectric plants. In all, R$ 57.3 billion were handled, with discounts reaching 15.34%. The expectation is for an investment of R$ 5.98 billion.
The auction was the first in Brazil to contract capacity reserve. New and existing generation projects participated, totaling 132 projects, with 50,691 megawatts (MW) of power. The auction was exclusive for the offer of energy generation via thermoelectric power plants.
There were 17 winners, with a contracted capacity of 4,632 MW, with an average price of R$ 824 thousand per MW/year. The start of the supply of this energy is scheduled for 2026 and 2027, with 15-year contracts. Among the winners are plants from Petrobras, Neoenergy and Eneva.
In addition to electric power, the enterprises were also able to contract energy at the event, as long as the limit of up to 30% of inflexibility was respected – a parameter that indicates the minimum that a plant must constantly generate – per year. However, there was no contracting of this product.
According to André Patrus, executive manager of the auction department at Aneel, the power supply was the main focus of the auction, and the demand was fully met. He classified the discount, in relation to the ministry’s price ceiling, as “good, with savings of more than R$ 10 billion for end consumers”.
Of the winners, eight are plants powered by gas, one by sugarcane bagasse, two by diesel and five by fuel oil. However, Patrus stated that the seven oil-fired plants participated in the auction only because they obtained injunctions authorizing entry, even though they had operating costs above those established.
According to him, the court decisions will be discussed in court. “If the injunctions fall, the possibility of summoning other participants in the auction held or opening an auction for new contracts will be evaluated, as availability is necessary for 2026”, he says. The start of operation will be until the second half of 2026.
All plants are 100% flexible, that is, they are turned off and activated only when the National System Operator (U.S) think that they are important to ensure that demand is met, giving more security to the Brazilian electricity system.
The ministry established a maximum operating cost for the thermoelectric plants, at a value lower than that paid today for operation amid the water crisis of 2021. With this, the expectation is that, if they need to be activated in 2026, the value in the accounts of charged light would be lower than currently.
This Tuesday’s auction was the latest in a series of events that took place in December, named “Energy Weeks” by the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The expectation is to collect R$ 206.9 billion in private investments from the concessions, generating 160 thousand direct and indirect jobs.
On the 21st, at the end of the event, there will be an auction for contracting power and electricity from new and existing thermoelectric plants. The start of the supply of this energy is scheduled for 2026 and 2027, with 15-year contracts.
Last Friday (17), the government raised BRL 11 billion in bonuses with an auction of two pre-salt fields, with premiums reaching 437.86%. A transmission auction was also held, with all lots sold and 50% average discount.
On December 7, starting the Energy Weeks, two auctions were held for energy generation and transmission, which moved about BRL 490 million.
Reference: CNN Brasil
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