Silveira responds to Tarcísio's criticism of Enel and accuses him of using "populist" language.

247 - The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira (PSD), criticized on Wednesday (24) the statements made by the Governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos), about Enel. In an interview during Liquid Gas Week, in Rio de Janeiro, Silveira stated that he hopes not to see a populist discourse from Tarcísio.

“I prefer to believe that Governor Tarcísio doesn’t use that kind of language, because that language seems much more populist to me than the language of a public figure who wants to conduct state policy,” said the minister. He stressed that decisions regarding concessions in the electricity sector should be guided by “technical, objective criteria,” under analysis by Aneel (National Electric Energy Agency) and the TCU (Federal Court of Accounts).

Tarcísio takes a tougher stance against Enel.

The day before, the governor of São Paulo intensified his criticism of the concessionaire. In a meeting with mayors, he stated that he will "fight with all his strength until the end to sweep this bad concessionaire out of our state." Tarcísio complained about Enel's response to the storms that hit São Paulo and compared the company's performance to that of CPFL, which he said managed to restore power to most customers in less time.

The governor also questioned the possibility of an early extension of Enel's contract, currently under discussion at the Ministry of Mines and Energy. "It's astonishing that there's still debate, or that anyone is even considering, the early extension of Enel's contract. This makes absolutely no sense," he declared.

Pressure on Aneel and the agency's reaction.

Silveira's remarks come amid a recent clash with Aneel. On September 16, the minister demanded more speed in the analysis of concessions and stated that there is no room for "politicking" in the process. The statement provoked an immediate reaction from the regulatory body. Director Fernando Mosna removed the renewal of Energisa Sergipe from the agenda, highlighting the agency's independence. Director-General Sandoval Feitosa, however, rejected the use of the term. "After all, Aneel is not a political body. If it is not a political body, it also does not engage in politics, nor does it use the pejorative term 'politicking'," he said.

Concessions in dispute

The federal government plans to renew 19 distributor contracts for another 30 years. The first contract was signed with EDP Espírito Santo, and eight others have already received the green light for extension. Among the pending issues is precisely the contract with Enel São Paulo, a recurring target of criticism from Tarcísio and the mayor of the capital, Ricardo Nunes (MDB).

Besides Enel, companies like Light (RJ), Coelba (BA), CPFL Paulista (SP), and Equatorial Pará (PA) are awaiting a decision. It is up to Aneel to evaluate the performance of each distributor and recommend whether or not to renew the contracts.

What Enel says

In a statement, Enel reported that it had restored power to 97% of customers affected by the heavy rains by Tuesday morning (September 23). The utility highlighted that it had mobilized more than 1.300 teams and reinforced its operational structure, with the hiring of new employees, expansion of the generator fleet, and increased preventive pruning.

The company further argues that its concession area in São Paulo has a much higher consumer density than the national average, which would make comparisons with other distributors difficult.