1. Home
  2. / Economy
  3. / At the request of the Federal Government, ONS shuts down more than 20 thermoelectric plants to reduce the price of the electricity bill
reading time 3 min read

At the request of the Federal Government, ONS shuts down more than 20 thermoelectric plants to reduce the price of the electricity bill

Written by Valdemar Medeiros
Published 13/12/2021 às 12:16
ONS - Federal Government - electricity bill - thermoelectric plants - thermal
With more rain, the government decides to keep thermoelectric plants off – photo: Agencia Brasil

Due to the return of the rains, the Federal Government sent a new request to the ONS for 20 thermoelectric plants to be turned off, causing the electricity bill to go down again and contributing to the budget of the Brazilian people

With the return of rains and the level of reservoirs rising, the Federal Government is shutting down thermoelectric plants, which produce more expensive and polluting energy than hydroelectric plants. A survey carried out by the National Electrical System Operator (ONS) states that more than 20 thermoelectric plants have already been turned off, which represents 15% of Brazil's installed capacity. The aim is to reduce the values ​​​​on the light bill. In the year to September, the electricity bill for the Brazilian consumer rose by almost 32% according to the IBGE.

Read also

Federal Government will reduce the production of thermoelectric plants

Another measure that will be announced soon is a loan for energy distributors to dissolve the readjustments in the electricity bill that are scheduled for next year.

The loan will be coordinated by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and other private sector banks, as occurred in the most serious phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, for example.

For Adriano Pires, director of the Brazilian Center for Infrastructure, the Federal Government needs to carefully reduce the production of thermal energy so that the other reservoirs do not go down during the rainy season, running the risk of a power outage next year.

According to the director, the Federal Government cannot make the same mistakes made last year. Thermoelectric plants represent 13% of the country's electricity generation capacity, a percentage well below the 63% of hydroelectric plants.

Electricity load will rise by 0,9% this month

The ONS also sees an increase in the electricity load this month and also projects that the national electricity load should rise by 0,9% until this month, reaching 70.672 average MW. In November, the forecast was for a fall of 0,5%.

The company estimates that the hydroelectric reservoirs in the Southeast and Midwest should reach 25,7% of their capacity by the end of this month. This level represents a decline from the previous estimate, which was 26,1%.

Rainfall in the Southeast and Midwest regions, according to an estimate by the ONS, should reach 97% of the historical average for this month, which last month was 99%. In the Northeast, rainfall is estimated at 77%, which was previously 86%. As for the South, the ONS claims rainfall at 41%, which was previously 55%.

New plants will arrive in the country and may influence the electricity bill

The Wärtsilä technology group will supply the Federal Government with three natural gas-fired thermoelectric power plants, totaling 150 MW. The plants will be delivered by the group in an accelerated schedule and it is estimated that they will start operating in the second quarter of 2022.

The energy generated by the thermoelectric plants will be directed to the interconnected grid in Brazil so that the system is reliable and stable in times of drought and low reservoirs.  

Valdemar Medeiros

Journalist in training, specialist in creating content with a focus on SEO actions. Writes about the Automotive Industry, Renewable Energy and Science and Technology

Share across apps