Unprecedented energy capacity reserve auction generates an investment of BRL 6 billion

The first energy capacity reserve auction will generate BRL 5.98 billion in private investments in thermoelectric power plants powered by natural gas, diesel, fuel oil and sugarcane bagasse in the coming years, including the creation or expansion of units for energy supply in the country.

The unprecedented mold event was held this Tuesday morning (21) at the headquarters of the CCEE (Electric Energy Trading Chamber), in São Paulo. The 17 winning thermal plants will provide 4,632 MW (megawatts) of energy from 2026.

The plants belong to the undertakings Global Participações, Delta Geração, Geramar, LGSA, Paranaíba, Petrobras, Portocem, Termopernambuco, Tevisa, Trombudo and UTLP.

The biggest investment was by Portocem, with R$ 4.2 billion planned for a new natural gas plant.

The only green energy station to be created will be the Cidade do Livro project (from UTLP), which will invest R$502 million in a sugarcane bagasse plant in Barra Bonita (SP).

Petrobras will make available reserve energy from the Betim (MG) and São José (RJ) substations.

The contracts are for energy delivery from July 2026 and will be valid for 15 years. Every year, the group of plants that won the auction will receive R$3.4 billion. The financial volume of contracts traded totals R$57.3 billion.

The contracted power was 4,431 MW, at an average price of R$ 824,553.83 per megawatt-year (MW.year), a discount of 15.34% compared to the initial price, in an event held after the country faced risks with the supply of energy in 2021 due to the lack of rainfall in hydroelectric reservoirs.

The auction was divided into two parts: energy and power. Until today, the government paid the plants for contractual energy generation. With the change, it buys the availability of generation (that is, the plant is ready to operate when necessary).

Debated since the government of Michel Temer, this type of event allows for the future purchase of energy capacity and is part of the context of the gradual opening of the energy market, which tends to reduce the weight of distributors.

Thus, in times of water crisis, for example, the government can count on this reserve already acquired.

In addition to generating more electrical energy security, the reserve can reduce the final cost of the electricity bill, since the costs are now prorated among all final users of electricity in the SIN (National Interconnected System).

Before, for example, a distributor could demand energy for a certain period, and this cost would be shared only among its consumers. Another point is that when thermal plants are not in operation, only the regulated market assumes the costs. With the change, the cost is shared by all consumers, via SIN charges.

In markets considered ripe for energy, such as the United States and some countries in Europe, the division happens this way.

The auction had 132 registered projects, which add up to more than 50 thousand MW (megawatts) of power.

In addition to electric power, these undertakings 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.

with Reuters