From the beginning of this year until Monday (28), the electricity bill, which is paid by families and small businesses, charged consumers with almost R$ 26 billion in subsidies, basically incentives for different undertakings. On average, these benefits represented 12.59% of the energy tariff in the period.
The values are shown in the Subsidiometer, a new digital tool that measures subsidies that may go unnoticed in the energy tariff of all Brazilians who pay for the service.
Aneel (National Electricity Agency) launches the novelty this Tuesday (29).
The database that supports the survey gathers information passed on by distributors and by the CCEE (Electric Energy Commercialization Chamber).
The escalation of subsidies is mainly measured by the increase in the CDE (Energy Development Account), which brings together most of the benefits granted to different companies and sectors within the electricity bill.
“The Subsidiometer seeks to discuss the high cost of the CDE and subsidies as a whole, which has limited the role of electricity as a vector of productivity gains, competitiveness and social well-being”, says Sandoval Feitosa, director general of Aneel .
“Not tackling this problem is jeopardizing the country’s social and economic development, in addition to expanding social, regional and economic inequalities. This agenda is of national interest.”
According to Feitosa, one of the agency’s goals is to provide transparency to subsidies, so that consumers know what they are paying for.
In the cost cake, for example, there are R$ 8.9 billion used to pay for polluting fuel for thermal plants in isolated areas, not yet connected to the system. Another almost R$ 7 billion supported the so-called incentivized energies, basically renewables such as wind, solar and biomass, despite the fact that they are already profitable and do not need financial support from the State.
Another BRL 2.2 billion financed the so-called GD (Distributed Generation), basically photovoltaic solar energy used by high-income families, banks, large retail chains. And it still had R$ 1.1 billion to finance the irrigation of agribusiness, including large grain exporters.
In the last five years, highlights the agency, the CDE has doubled. It went from BRL 15.99 billion in 2017 to BRL 32.10 billion this year. As its name implies, this account was supposed to help develop initiatives that could improve the supply of energy, but it has become a kind of basket case of benefits.
In addition to detailing the cost by type of benefit, the subsidemeter also provides a variety of other information. It shows the total volume of subsidies since 2018, and how they have been increased. Informs the cost paid by consumers in each region and also by each distributor.
South, Midwest and Southeast, for example, paid the largest subsidy installments, 17.13%, 15.11% and 14.72% respectively. Among the distributors, those that pay more than they receive subsidies are Cemig, Enel SP and CPFL Paulista.
UNDERSTAND THE SUBSIDIES
These are benefits created through laws and decrees of the National Congress and the government, the most relevant of which are:
CCC (Fuel Consumption Account) They cover the costs of generating energy in isolated systems, which were not connected to the National Interconnected System, as part of the Amazon.
encouraged source🇧🇷 Reduction in the tariff paid by generators and consumers who purchase energy from small hydroelectric, solar, wind, biomass and cogeneration plants.
irrigation and aquaculture Refer to the discount granted to these groups of agribusiness consumers
Water, Sewage and Sanitation It is the discount for consumers classified in the water, sewage and sanitation public service class. It is decreasing every year and should reach zero in 2023.
Rural It is the discount for consumers classified in the Rural class. It should also reach zero in 2023.
Distributed generation Consumers who install distributed micro or mini-generation systems, usually solar, no longer bear transmission and distribution costs. As of 2023, CDE will assume part of these costs that were previously included in the tariff
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