06/15/2024 – 16:35
The Italian electricity company Enel confirmed this Saturday the planned investment in Brazil of 3.7 billion dollars from 2024 to 2026, after a speech by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva conditioning the renewal of the concession to the contributions.
+ Lula offers to renew with Enel in exchange for more investments
After the G7 conference in Italy, Lula mentioned in an interview with journalists the problems with supplying Enel, which operates concessions in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Ceará.
“They made a commitment that, instead of investing 11 billion, they will invest 20 billion over the next three years, promising that there will be no more blackouts anywhere they are responsible for energy,” said Lula.
The investment plan mentioned by Lula had already been announced by the company, which confirmed the values this Saturday citing the amount of 3.7 billion dollars.
The speech was made at a time when the government is about to define the guidelines for the renewal of 20 electricity distribution contracts, including Enel, in addition to CPFL, Neoenergia, Equatorial and Energisa.
In the project that is at the Civil House, the extension of 20 contracts that expire in 2025 is at stake, comprising 64% of the country’s energy distribution market.
“Next week, the Minister of Mines and Energy (Alexandre Silveira) will take me a proposal, and we will then know whether we are going to do it or not, to solve this energy problem, because São Paulo is very important, we cannot allow the most important capital in Brazil to be without energy”, stated the president.
Lula mentioned a meeting with Enel representatives.
“We are talking to them to say that we are willing to renew the agreement if they make a commitment to make investments.”
This week, the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon), linked to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, fined Enel’s energy distributor in Rio de Janeiro 13.067 million reais for interruption of services and delay in reestablishment by the concessionaire.
Enel’s São Paulo distributor has also been fined 165.8 million reais by the regulatory agency Aneel for its actions in response to the blackout in November last year, which affected millions of consumers in the capital of São Paulo and the metropolitan region.
The distributor has reaffirmed its commitments to consumers, highlighting the planned investments.
Investment plan
In a statement this Saturday, Enel stated that the global CEO of the Italian company, Flavio Cattaneo, met in the morning, in Italy, with President Lula, reaffirming the investments.
Enel’s Director of External Relations, Nicolò Mardegan, and the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, also participated in the meeting.
According to Enel, the Brazilian government and the new electricity management “converged” on a series of points, mainly on how Brazil is “one of the most important countries within the company’s growth strategy”.
The amount of investments that the group directed to the country in the Strategic Plan presented to the market last November marks a “change of course” and an increase of 45% compared to the previous program, according to Enel.
In networks, Enel foresees an increase in investments in Brazil of 75% compared to the previous plan, to 2.9 billion dollars in the period 2024-26.
“Following the extreme weather events that in 2023 caused interruptions in the electrical service in some areas of its concessions, the company decided to intervene with determination through a plan that foresees, in addition to the significant increase in investments in quality and resilience, also an important increase of its workforce in the country”, said Enel.
By Roberto Samora*
#Enel #promises #increase #investment #Brazil #Lula #admits #renewing #contract