The state government's objective is to attract new ventures to Rio de Janeiro, offering more advantages to investors.

This Tuesday, September 24, the Secretary for Economic Development of Rio, Lucas Tristão, informed that the government of Rio de Janeiro intends to exempt from ICMS the purchase of natural gas for electricity generation projects that wish to be installed in the state. . Speaking of thermoelectric, Elfe Engenharia receives CVs for works at the Mário Lago Thermoelectric Plant – Macaé.

The initiative must be presented by means of a decree that is already being prepared by the Secretariat for Economic Development of the State of Rio, as informed yesterday by the holder of the paw, Lucas Tristão.

The objective of the state government, with the zero ICMS rate, is to attract new undertakings to Rio de Janeiro, offering more advantages to investors interested in building thermoelectric plants.

The gas tax exemption for thermoelectric plants is already adopted in other states, such as São Paulo and Bahia, and had not yet been incorporated into the tax regime of Rio de Janeiro due to the state's fiscal recovery program.

Today the ICMS of gas purchased for thermoelectric plants generates tax credits, but they cannot pass them on to their products because the energy they produce is consumed in other states.

According to the secretary, the government plans to publish the decree soon, with an eye on the companies that will participate in the next energy auction, scheduled for October 18th.

According to Tristão, there are thermal plants registered to participate in the auction, and that can benefit from the new measure, as soon as it is published. He claims that companies already operating in the state will also be included within the new decree.

In addition to new investments, the expectation of the government of Rio is that the measure generates a reduction in the cost of energy for the consumer. “Today, Rio de Janeiro is the one that taxes the most energy in the country. The reduction in the price of energy will come from the reduction in the price of inputs”, highlights Tristão.

The government will ask for compensation, in terms of investments, for the tax waiver, but according to the secretary, there is still no definition of how this would be done.

Thermal power plants, such as the one operated with natural gas in Uruguaiana (photo), deliver 25,86% of the energy used in the country. According to Aneel's expectation, thermoelectric plants can generate 37,18% of the energy produced by new plants Reuters

"We hadn't done it yet because we are in the fiscal recovery regime", said the secretary. He said that there is an understanding in the state government that the exemption does not harm the recovery plan agreed with the federal government.

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