CEEE Grupo Equatorial plans to build three new substations in RS in 2023
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Three new power substations and the capacity expansion of at least three others are on the horizon of investments by CEEE Grupo Equatorial in its concession area in Rio Grande do Sul in 2023. According to the company, it will be at least R$ 55 million invested in works that will directly benefit more than 400,000 people, and are part of the concessionaire’s investment plan for this year, with an undisclosed value projection.
“We will continue making significant contributions in Rio Grande do Sul to recover many years of low investments in this concession area and make this operation a reference in the electricity sector”, explains the company’s CEO, Raimundo Barreto Bastos.
The largest of the projects will be carried out in Cerro Grande do Sul, with the construction of a new substation budgeted at R$ 23 million. In Porto Alegre, two significant works are planned _ a new substation in the North Zone, with investments of R$ 18.8 million, and the expansion of the Porto Alegre 16 substation, in Jardim Leopoldina, with investments of R$ 1.5 million _ , and there is also the electrification of the Salso substation, in Santa Vitória do Palmar, in a project with a disbursement of R$ 8.7 million.
Structural work also includes capacity expansion at a substation in Capão da Canoa – an investment of R$ 2.2 million – and in Butiá – R$ 803 thousand.
In 2022, according to Equatorial’s annual report, BRL 751 million were invested in the concession area of CEEE Distribuidora, which had the operation taken over by the group in July 2021, covering 72 municipalities, including Porto Alegre. A volume 75% higher than the previous year.
Most of last year’s investment, R$ 548 million, was allocated to actions to expand and improve the network. Another R$130 million was invested in network maintenance and R$20 million in equipment and systems. There was an increase of 4.3% in the volume of energy billed in the concession area, reaching 8.191 GWh. There was also a general increase of 4.12% in the number of consumers regularly served by the concessionaire – the highest increase since 2018.
Despite the positive numbers in the operation of CEEE Grupo Equatorial, the year ended with a loss of R$ 266 million. A volume, however, reduced by 32% in relation to the R$ 394 million registered in 2021. According to the company’s business plan, the goal is to start having profitable operations from 2024. “From the first full year of operations , it was possible for us to act with greater planning in technical improvements and also in customer service. It is very uncomfortable to be evaluated with negative indexes by Aneel, despite having improved a lot in relation to the operation itself. For this reason, we will invest even more to revert”, guarantees the director.
Bastos stresses, however, that the improvement in service has already been perceptible this past summer, on the North Coast, as a direct result of structural investments made in the last year, such as expansions in the capacities of the Osório substations, by 60%, and Santo Antônio da Patrulha, also at 60%. “We faced two summers very well, with a historical peak of consumption of at least three years, which reached 350 MW in this last New Year’s Eve”, points out the director.
On the other hand, the company guarantees heavy investment in improving its relationship with customers. Call center service increased from 80 to 225 service positions, in addition to the so-called “digital branch”, with more than 40 service positions.
CEEE Grupo Equatorial’s boldest approach in 2023 to improve the efficiency of its services can be seen on the streets. By the end of the year, the company intends to regularize the energy supply to 38,000 homes that are currently supplied by “gatos” or “gambiarras” in all 72 municipalities in the concession area.
“It is not a penalization action, but one of social inclusion. These are communities that for many years were on the margins of investments in basic infrastructure. When we regularize the energy supply, we are talking about more security for the people benefited and more quality and reliability in the light for all customers”, explains the director.
Even with the increase in the volume of energy billed in 2022, reaching 8,191 GWh, there was still a loss of 1,549 GWh in the CEEE Grupo Equatorial network. It represents an energy loss rate of 15.9%, a reduction of 2.7% compared to what was registered in 2021, but still well above the 8% considered satisfactory.
The reversal of “cats” is one of the fronts to reduce losses. Last year, 6,100 economies were regularized _ six times less than this year _, and the perspective is that, in 2024, another 30,000 will still be included in the system.
In recent days, for example, the concessionaire has been operating in the Vila São José region, in Porto Alegre, where at least two thousand economies outside the system are mapped. In this community, simultaneously with the process of connecting to the network, Equatorial will carry out actions such as the raffle of economic refrigerators and the implementation of more economical light bulbs for low-income families.
Actions to improve efficiency also reach public authorities. R$ 12 million will be invested in energy efficiency programs in public lighting in 12 municipalities, within the program called E+ Luzes da Cidade until the end of 2023. This involves replacing light fixtures with new ones, with LED technology.
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