Brazil's electricity regulatory agency Aneel has asked for public comment for a second time on access to transmission lines for wind and solar projects.
In Brazil, generation projects are first authorized and then queued for access to transmission lines. In 2021, the government announced it would end transmission and distribution subsidies for renewable power projects authorized after March 2022, causing several new projects to rush requests to beat the deadline. But too many projects were approved, making it impossible for all to be built and connected to the grid in a timely manner.
The proposal for public comments aims to determine objective criteria and simplify generators' access to lines. The first round received 266 suggestions. Aneel is now presenting a new proposal, which the agency claims is more in line with the goals of reducing costs, using the grid efficiently, simplifying the process, and establishing a risk matrix for generators.
Aneel will take comments between 28 April-27 June. Information on how to send contributions is available on the regulator's website.
Renewable generators advocated for a "day of atonement", in which Aneel would allow projects to drop their authorizations without paying fines. But Aneel and mines and energy ministry MME might not be so keen on the idea, according to market participants.
Aneel has also been studying a new tender format to avoid such a problem in the future. The tender would end the queue format and give a financial incentive for projects to be completed after being authorized, as they would have to pay to access transmission lines.
