Coelba faces R$ 2.4 million daily fine over response times

Neoenergia Coelba must lower its average emergency service time (TMAE) to 9.83 hours by the end of 2026 and to 8.57 hours by December 2027. If the distributor fails to meet these thresholds, it faces a daily fine of BRL 2.39 million, capped at 30 days.

The technical inspection superintendency of Brazil's electricity regulator, Aneel, accepted an appeal from the utility to ease the initial requirements set in June, which had demanded 9.50 hours in 2026 and 8.50 hours in 2027. The 2027 requirement represents a further 76-minute reduction compared to the 2026 target. Aneel noted that the original 2026 goal was established after annual operational planning had already begun and acknowledged that the indicator reflects a 12-month rolling average.

The mandate follows an inspection of emergency service quality across Bahia. In 2025, Coelba posted an average response time of 11.76 hours, which stood 60.87% above the national average of 7.31 hours and topped the regulatory benchmark of 10.35 hours. Across the company's 211 electrical clusters, 133 units, or 63% of the total, exceeded that 10.35-hour threshold.

To achieve compliance, Coelba reported deploying 115 extra emergency teams, hiring more than 230 electricians, and investing approximately BRL 6.9 billion across the 2024 and 2025 cycle in network expansion, automation, and operational bases. The company stated that its daily average volume of field teams increased by 28% compared to the final four months of 2025 and 40% year on year, adding that it achieved a 17% reduction in the index over the past two years.