By Brazil Stock Guide – Brazil’s electricity regulator said a recent prolonged blackout affecting customers of Enel Distribuição São Paulo will be assessed within an enforcement process already under way, following another major outage last year.
The National Electric Energy Agency, known as Aneel, said on Wednesday that the service interruption triggered by an extratropical cyclone earlier this month will be reviewed as part of monitoring tied to a notice issued after a similar event in October 2024. The probe focuses on whether Enel failed again to restore service in a timely manner.
“Aneel’s inspection team, together with the state regulator Arsesp, will assess the recurrence of failures by the company in restoring service during the Dec. 10 event,” the agency said.
The clarification comes after Brazil’s Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira, São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas and São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes said late Tuesday that they would press Aneel to initiate proceedings that could lead to the termination of Enel’s distribution concession in the state.
Aneel noted that the 2024 notice already forms part of a preparatory phase that could support a recommendation to revoke the concession, which would be forwarded to the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The issue reached the regulator’s board in early November, when rapporteur Agnes da Costa proposed extending oversight of Enel’s recovery plan through March 2026 to assess performance during the summer period. Board member Gentil Nogueira requested more time to review the case.
Nogueira attended Tuesday’s meeting with Silveira, Freitas and Nunes, representing Aneel’s director-general Sandoval Feitosa, and briefed officials on the status of the inspection.
In its statement, Aneel reiterated that repeated supply disruptions since 2023 led to the largest fine ever imposed by the agency on a power company—165 million reais ($33.7 million). Enforcement of the penalty is currently suspended by a court order.
Enel Distribuição São Paulo is controlled by Italy’s Enel SpA (ENEL IM).