Brazil Puts a Battery Inside a Transmission Auction
BRAZIL · ENERGY
Key Facts
- —The consultation Brazil’s electricity regulator opens public consultation 032 of 2026 on 10 September. Contributions close on 26 October.
- —The auction 30 April 2027, covering 12 lots across 13 states in all five regions.
- —The scale 3,245 kilometres of new transmission line and 1,386 MVA of transformation capacity, at an estimated 12.9 billion reais.
- —The first Lot 5 is the first battery storage system contracted at transmission level in Brazil’s national grid.
- —The battery 100 MW and 200 MWh, at Cruzeiro do Sul and Feijo in Acre, for supply reliability in the isolated west of the state.
- —The term Eleven lots run 30 years. The battery lot runs 18, matched to battery service life.
Brazil is about to auction a battery as part of a transmission concession for the first time. It is going to Acre, not to the wind farms of the northeast.
Brazil’s electricity regulator approved on 8 September the terms of a transmission auction that for the first time contracts a battery storage system as part of a concession. Public consultation opens on 10 September.
What Is Being Auctioned
The auction is set for 30 April 2027. It covers 12 lots spread across 13 states in all five regions of the country.
Together they cover 3,245 kilometres of new transmission line and 1,386 MVA of transformation capacity, at an estimated investment of 12.9 billion reais.
Construction windows run from 36 to 60 months after contract signature.
Eleven lots carry 30-year concessions. The consultation, number 032 of 2026, opens on 10 September and closes for contributions on 26 October.
The Battery Lot
Lot 5 is the first battery storage system to be contracted at transmission level in Brazil’s interconnected system.
It is specified at 100 MW and 200 MWh, at Cruzeiro do Sul and Feijo in Acre. The stated purpose is supply reliability for the isolated west of that state.
The concession runs 18 years rather than 30, matched to the service life of the batteries. Grid-forming inverter requirements are specified.
Agnes Costa, the reporting director at the regulator, said the future transmission company must address investment and the maintenance of system availability throughout the contract term.
The concept was flagged by director-general Sandoval Feitosa in August 2025, as the possibility of auctioning storage systems as an integral part of transmission concessions.
One Link Worth Not Making
Brazil does have a serious curtailment problem, and it is concentrated in the northeast. In the first quarter of 2026 an average 2,843 MW was cut, 17.2 percent of potential generation, against 2,436 MW a year earlier.
Across 2025, 20.6 percent of available solar and wind output was lost. The northeast alone accounted for an average 2,233 MW between January and April, against 476 MW in the southeast.
Lot 5 is not the answer to that. It sits in Acre, in the north, and its purpose is local reliability.
The curtailment answer is a different auction. Brazil’s first dedicated battery auction is scheduled for 2 and 4 December 2026, with 6,091 distinct projects registered and the northeast accounting for 71.1 percent of registered capacity.
The market expects up to 6 gigawatts to be contracted there, against a 2 gigawatt minimum.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is being auctioned?
Twelve transmission lots across 13 states, covering 3,245 kilometres of line and 1,386 MVA of transformation, at an estimated 12.9 billion reais. The auction is on 30 April 2027.
What is new about it?
Lot 5 contracts a 100 MW, 200 MWh battery system as part of a transmission concession, the first time Brazil has done this in its national grid.
Where is the battery going?
Cruzeiro do Sul and Feijo in Acre, for supply reliability in the isolated west of the state. It is not aimed at northeastern curtailment.
When can the public comment?
Consultation 032 of 2026 opens on 10 September 2026 and closes for contributions on 26 October.
Sources: O Setor Eletrico, Poder360, eixos, Petronoticias, Canal Solar, Agencia Gov.
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