The approved framework maintains provisions allowing generators that co-locate batteries with power plants to reduce contracted transmission and distribution usage by up to 30 percent, subject to notification requirements. For standalone storage systems, the regulations create a bifurcated tariff structure based on dispatch authority. Assets operating under central dispatch by the Operador Nacional do Sistema will pay network charges only as generators, avoiding separate charges for charging and discharging operations. Standalone systems not centrally dispatched must contract network capacity separately for both functions and pay usage charges as both consumers and generators, implementing the dual-tariff approach that had been debated throughout the regulatory process.
The regulations establish storage as a licensed activity requiring specific authorization from ANEEL regardless of system size, creating a dedicated registration code separate from generation assets. The framework explicitly excludes reversible hydroelectric plants from transmission auction requirements while maintaining a separate regulatory regime for pumped storage facilities. Systems determined necessary for basic grid infrastructure through centralized planning will be treated as transmission assets subject to mandatory auctions.
The approval comes as the Ministry of Mines and Energy has indicated a capacity reserve auction for battery storage will occur before year-end 2026. Fabio Lima of the Brazilian Energy Storage Association stated that auction guidelines must be published within 15 days of mid-April to maintain a viable timeline, noting that ANEEL requires approximately four months to approve auction frameworks. The association warned that delays beyond this window would render a 2026 auction not credible, particularly given political constraints from scheduled elections and the World Cup occurring mid-year.
ANEEL director Gentil Nogueira stated during regulatory discussions that establishing minimum requirements in advance of the auction was necessary. The first authorized co-located battery system received approval on April 6, 2026, for the 5,016 kWh facility at Statkraft’s Sol de Brotas 7 solar plant in Bahia state with 1,250 kW installed power.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
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