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ANEEL Maintains Million-Dollar Penalty Against Neoenergia Coelba After Identifying Thousands of Delays in Energy Supply and Project Execution.
The ANEEL has tightened its regulatory actions by upholding a fine of R$ 59.5 million imposed on Neoenergia Coelba.
The decision, announced this Tuesday (2), reinforces the agency’s commitment to meeting regulatory deadlines related to electric energy supply and the execution of connection works.
The case involves thousands of access requests to the grid that remained pending beyond the allowed timeframe. According to the agency, the delays became recurrent and compromised the quality of service provided to consumers.
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Thousands of Pending Requests Prompted the Penalty
According to data collected by the ANEEL, 11,415 requests for electric energy supply requiring some type of work by the distributor were identified. Of this total, approximately 70% had exceeded the deadline.
These requests involved both direct connections to the grid and the execution of technical studies and necessary structural interventions to enable the supply.
However, in a large number of cases, the services were not delivered within the timeframe established by regulation.
In light of this situation, the agency decided to maintain the previously imposed penalty, highlighting that the delays violate fundamental rules of the electricity sector.
Delays Exceeded Regulatory Limits in Several Cases
The technical analysis by the ANEEL pointed out situations considered serious. In several records, Neoenergia Coelba exceeded the regulatory timeframe of 60 days for service, accumulating delays of up to 295 days. This represents a period more than six times the allowed limit.
Furthermore, in processes involving the execution of works, even more significant delays were recorded. In some cases, the timeframe exceeded 598 days, far above the ceiling of 120 days set by the regulatory agency.
According to ANEEL, these numbers highlight structural failures in demand management and operational planning of the distributor.
Agency Considers Recovery Plan Insufficient
Another point highlighted by the ANEEL was the performance of the recovery plan agreed with the company for the 2022/2023 cycle. The initiative aimed to correct failures and accelerate the service to the backlog of requests.
However, according to the agency’s evaluation, the plan did not yield significant progress. Delays and non-compliance with regulatory obligations persisted, contributing to the maintenance of the fine.
Thus, the agency concluded that the measures adopted by the distributor were insufficient to reverse the situation identified.
