2026年3月13日
The challenges for the full and sustainable opening of the electricity free market
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Our partner Débora Yanasse has published an analysis on MegaWhat, by UOL, on Law No. 15,269/2025. It is a regulatory milestone that places Brazil's electricity sector at the threshold of one of the most complex transformations in recent decades. The timeline is already set: by November 2027, low-voltage industrial and commercial clients will be able to choose their energy supplier; by November 2028, the opening extends to all consumers, including residential ones, reaching a potential of 90 million people in a market currently restricted to less than 40% of the total population.
A landmark of the Electric Sector Reform, the law provides for the complete opening of Brazil's free electricity market to all low-voltage consumers. The impact will be unprecedented: the free market is set to grow from around 85,000 to 90 million potential consumer units, equivalent to approximately 60% of the energy consumed in Brazil,, opening a vast horizon of opportunities for companies and sector agents, from market innovations to new paradigms of competitiveness and tariff balance.
The transition, however, demands more than compliance with legal deadlines. ANEEL will need to address critical structural challenges for the opening of Brazil's free energy market: the modernization of distribution networks and the reform of the Differences Settlement Price (PLD), the reference value for the short-term market, are among the key priorities, alongside correct hourly price signaling to transform the energy consumption experience.
Another fundamental pillar is the equitable allocation of costs in the electricity sector: the law requires tariff transparency and a clear separation of charges between the Regulated Contracting Environment (ACR) and the Free Contracting Environment (ACL), including the proportional allocation of distributors' legacy contracts, with mitigation opportunities still under review by the ONS.
"With adequate regulatory guidelines, a fully liberalized electricity market should enable improvements in services and products for consumers at more competitive prices," says Débora.
Read the full analysis on MegaWhat.
A landmark of the Electric Sector Reform, the law provides for the complete opening of Brazil's free electricity market to all low-voltage consumers. The impact will be unprecedented: the free market is set to grow from around 85,000 to 90 million potential consumer units, equivalent to approximately 60% of the energy consumed in Brazil,, opening a vast horizon of opportunities for companies and sector agents, from market innovations to new paradigms of competitiveness and tariff balance.
The transition, however, demands more than compliance with legal deadlines. ANEEL will need to address critical structural challenges for the opening of Brazil's free energy market: the modernization of distribution networks and the reform of the Differences Settlement Price (PLD), the reference value for the short-term market, are among the key priorities, alongside correct hourly price signaling to transform the energy consumption experience.
Another fundamental pillar is the equitable allocation of costs in the electricity sector: the law requires tariff transparency and a clear separation of charges between the Regulated Contracting Environment (ACR) and the Free Contracting Environment (ACL), including the proportional allocation of distributors' legacy contracts, with mitigation opportunities still under review by the ONS.
"With adequate regulatory guidelines, a fully liberalized electricity market should enable improvements in services and products for consumers at more competitive prices," says Débora.
Read the full analysis on MegaWhat.
