Extreme weather events do not justify a lack of planning. On the contrary, it is expected that public authorities and concession companies will put into practice adaptation and mitigation plans to deal with these phenomena which, as science has been indicating for years, will be increasingly recurrent.
This is not what we see in São Paulo, given the inability of Enel, the energy concessionaire, to manage crises and of the authorities to monitor them. Shortly after the passage of the extratropical cyclone which intensely hit the south and southeast of the country on Wednesday (10), nearly 2.5 million homes and businesses found themselves without electricity.
According to data from this Friday (12), the power outage still affects 700,000 properties. Enel says these are “very complex” cases and there is no expected return.
It is clear that the company must strengthen its service team, planning for critical situations, and curbing sporadic and unacceptable illegal acts by employees, such as the case of bribes to restore power.
On the authorities’ side, there is a dispute between, on the one hand, the municipal and state administrations and, on the other hand, the federal administration. Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) requests the expiration of the contract – early termination of the concession for serious and repeated non-compliance with contractual or legal obligations – with Enel, which expires in 2028.
The Minister of Energy Minas, Alexandre Silveira, affirms that the contract will only be renewed after analysis and technical studies and that only the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) can open an intervention process, such as expiration.
In all cases, it is up to the department and the local community to ensure, through management and control, that the concessionaire is effective in its service. On Wednesday (10), Aneel gave the company five days to explain the lack of electricity in the capital.
Specific measures such as regular tree felling, carried out by the municipality, also help to avoid power cuts. However, only adequate monitoring and regulation really work in the medium and long term.
It should be noted that Enel’s slow response after weather phenomena is recurrent. This is the fifth power outage in São Paulo since November 2023.
Consumers in São Paulo have the right to adequate service. There is no visible end to climate events resulting from global warming. It is necessary to seek technical and non-voluntary solutions to balance quality of service, operational profitability and price parsimony.
editorials@grupofolha.com.br
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