Electricity bills for low-income families will continue next April without additional fees

It’s the fifth month in a row Social tariff families do not incur additional costs on their energy bills.

for those ofMore consumersremain in effect at The science of water scarcity, the most expensive. accused Additional 14.20 BRL per 100 kWh Consume per month.

health The science of water scarcity Ends on April 30th. That is, as of May, Bell Once again it was decided on a monthly basis the color of the flag for all consumers, and not just for the beneficiaries of the social tariff – as it has been happening since September.

A tariff system is a fee that is applied to electricity bills when the cost of producing energy increases. This is what happened, for example, throughout 2021, due to the energy crisis.

tank level

According to the national system operator, the level of the southeastern and western reservoirs, which is responsible for 70% of the country’s production capacity, was at 62.46% as of Thursday (24).

In September 2021, storage reached 16.75%, the lowest level since October 2020, when the Electricity Sector Monitoring Committee (CMSE) allowed the activation of thermal power plants – the most expensive – to maintain the reservoirs of hydropower plants.

she was The first measures taken by the government in facing the scenario of water scarcity.

Despite the improvement in the level of reservoirs and the restrictions imposed by the CMSE on the activation of thermal plants, the costs of the energy crisis will continue to be borne by consumers.

This is because the loan given to distributors will be repaid with a new fee that will be applied to the electricity bill from 2023.

The government’s goal with this loan is to prevent all additional costs of energy production in 2021 from being passed on to consumers this year, in annual tariff adjustments to distributors.

In practice, the loan only prevents all the additional expenses from last year’s water crisis from being absorbed into the 2022 bills. The amounts will still be paid, with interest, but will be mitigated in the coming years.

National Electric Energy Agency (BellThe loan to the electricity sector to cover the additional costs for the past year will reach 10.5 billion Brazilian riyals.

The Electricity Social Tariff corresponds to a discount on the energy bill given for the first 220 kilowatt-hours (kWh) consumed by resident customers per month.

• families registered in the Federal Government’s Single Registry, with per capita income less than or equal to half of the minimum wage;
• Seniors aged 65 or over and persons with disabilities who are recipients of the Continuing Cash Grant (BPC);
• Families registered in the individual registry with a monthly income of up to three minimum wages with a member who, due to illness or disability, constantly uses medical devices that consume electricity.

according to BellIn January, 13.1 million households participated in the program.

The agency estimates that another 10.6 million families will be able to start receiving deductions after the automatic enrollment of families registered in the Single Registry and in the BPC.