The ANEEL

The National Electricity Agency (ANEEL), a special government agency linked to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, was created to regulate the Brazilian electricity sector, through Act No. 9,427/1996 (in portuguese) and Decree No. 2,335/1997 (in portuguese).

ANEEL began its activities in December 1997, having as main attributions:

• Regulating the generation (production), transmission, distribution and commercialization of electricity;
• Inspecting, directly or through agreements with state agencies, concessions, permits and electric power services;
• Implementing policies and guidelines of the federal government regarding the exploration of electric power and the use of hydraulic potentials;
• Establishing tariffs;
• Decreasing differences, at the administrative level, among agents and those agents and consumers, and
• Promoting the activities of concession grants, permission and authorization of electricity ventures and services, by delegation of the Federal Government.