Brazil will launch an auction for reserve energy capacity next week, says Alexandre Silveira.
The initiative aims to increase the reliability of energy supply and reduce the risk of blackouts, such as the one recorded in the early hours of Tuesday.
247 - The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, announced this Tuesday (14) that the federal government will launch next week the capacity reserve auction to reinforce the security of the Brazilian electrical system. The initiative aims to increase the reliability of energy supply and reduce the risk of blackouts.
According to Folha de S. PaulIn an interview with the program "Bom Dia, Ministro" (Good Morning, Minister), from Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), Silveira also stated that, by the end of this year, the first tender for contracting batteries and energy storage systems will be launched, a measure considered essential to modernize the energy matrix.
The 2026 transmission auction will include projects in 12 states.
In August, Aneel (National Electric Energy Agency) approved the public consultation on the 2026 transmission auction, scheduled for March 27. The auction includes five lots of works, totaling investments of R$ 3,31 billion and the construction of 661 kilometers of new transmission lines.
The largest contract, valued at R$ 1,1 billion, involves the installation of synchronous compensators in substations in Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte. According to Aneel, the projects will be distributed across 12 states — including Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Pará — and are expected to generate approximately 9 direct and indirect jobs.
Blackout in eight states
In the interview, Alexandre Silveira also addressed the blackout that affected eight states and the Federal District in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
"It's not a lack of energy, it's a problem in the infrastructure that transmits the energy," said the minister. He emphasized that, unlike the blackouts of 2001 and 2021, which were caused by a lack of planning and generation, the current episode was a one-off event.
“When we talk about blackouts, we remember those sad episodes of 2001 and 2021, which happened due to lack of energy and planning. Today we have plenty of energy,” he stated.
According to Silveira, power was restored in about an hour and a half, and the National Electric System Operator (ONS) scheduled a meeting to investigate the causes and define preventive measures.
