RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro decreed on Wednesday (24) that federal public administrative agencies must reduce electricity consumption by 10 to 20% from September to April 2022 in the face of intense drought.
The decision, which excludes state or municipal government agencies, is a new government measure to avoid blackouts when forecasts warn of a deepening of the worst drought in 91 years in the southeast and center-west of the territory.
According to official data, more than 22,000 public buildings owned and some 1,400 rented will have to meet the consumption reduction target established on pre-pandemic energy expenditure levels. The basis for comparison is the average consumption in the same months of 2018 and 2019, the text of the decree specifies.
Although the water crisis is already reflected in a rise in the price of electricity in households, due to the use of more expensive thermoelectric energy, the government has only asked the population for conscious consumption, avoiding measures of household rationing.
In 2001, the government of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso was forced to apply energy rationing when a drought situation similar to the current one affected the reservoir water level of hydroelectric power plants.
Bolsonaro has acknowledged the seriousness of what he defined as “the biggest hydrological crisis in history”, putting Brazil in “a serious problem”.
On Tuesday, the Electricity Sector Monitoring Committee (CMSE) pointed out after an exceptional meeting to address the critical situation that “as seen in recent months, the degradation of the observed scenarios and prospects predominates, with a significant deterioration.” Therefore, it is considered “essential” the adopt measures to preserve the supply.
The decree published in the Federal Gazette includes recommendations to federal public agencies to reduce consumption in their routine operations, such as “using only natural ventilation on days with mild temperatures” or “using stairs whenever possible”, among other points.
In May, another presidential decision addressed the crisis, enabling the holding of bids to contract generating plants that will remain in “reserve” and guarantee supply without massive cuts in extreme situations.