Is The Consumer Earning Market Power in Electric Sector?
Zilmar Jos de Souza zilmar@mrsoft.com.br Since 1995 there has been the free consumer figure, in other words, those that can choose their electricity supplier, escaping from the monopoly exercised by the local utility. However, so that one free consumer from So Paulo could buy electricity from one utility from Minas Gerais, should pay the transport costs of that electricity and the connection at the utilities grid from So Paulo. In practice, the free consumer couldn t exercise its option power, because there wasn t a regularization of payment of these costs. After four years, it seems that the complaints from electric sector agents, mainly from part of consumers considered free, had the desired result. The Electricity National Agency (Aneel) published, in 10/01/99, the Resolution 281, establishing the general conditions of access contracts, including the use and connection at the electricity transmission and distribution systems. It s about one regulatory mark that will be able to devel
