Electricity bill should rise 19% on average in 2022, predicts consulting

With the rise in electricity generation costs, the electricity bill may register an average increase of 19% next year in the country, as estimated by TR Soluções, a technology company specializing in the electricity sector.

A large part of the expected increase reflects the deficit between the costs of energy generation and the amounts collected in the bills through the tariff flags, which ends up being transferred to the electricity bill, an important item considered in the inflation indexes.

According to TR’s projections, the negative balance of Conta Bandeiras, to be considered in the tariff events of 2022 distributors, should reach R$ 17.8 billion.

The increases in the distributors’ tariffs in the review processes planned for the first half of the year, which take into account inflation rates, will also impact the electricity bill.

The prospect of a double-digit increase in tariffs next year is on the radar of the government and Aneel, who are preparing measures to mitigate the readjustment.

Among the actions is a new loan to energy distributors, which will come to reduce the deficit of Conta Bandeiras and will pay for other emergency actions taken in the management of the water crisis.

This week, the general director of Aneel, André Pepitone, said that the average increase in energy tariffs in 2022 will be “much lower” than the 21% projection contained in an official Aneel document.

According to Pepitone, the number does not consider tariff management actions that are already on Aneel’s agenda, such as the anticipation of a contribution of R$ 5 billion in resources from the capitalization of Eletrobras and the reduction in the service of Itaipu’s debt.