RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The National Agency of Electric Energy (ANEEL) announced on Thursday, December 30, that low-income households will remain free of surcharges on their electricity bills in January. Households enrolled in the Electric Energy Social Tariff program will remain under the green tariff flag.
The green flag reflects favorable power generation conditions and does not include any additional value on the tariff. For other consumers, the water scarcity flag will continue to be charged, which is R$14.20 (US$2.55) per 100 kWh consumed.
According to ANEEL, the additional charge on the tariff for the majority of consumers aims to strengthen the fight against the period of droughts and water shortages. This type of tariff will be charged through April 2022.
ANEEL also informed that low-income households enrolled in the Social Tariff program will continue to pay tariffs with discounts ranging from 10% to 65%, depending on the consumption range. The agency estimates that from January, millions of families will benefit from the program.
Since November, a law has been in force that determines the automatic inclusion in the Electric Energy Social Tariff of households benefited by the government’s social programs, such as Auxílio Brasil (Brazil Aid). There are currently 12.3 million families benefited by the tariff, and the government expects that over 11 million will have access to the benefit.