Coordination and execution

The Light for All Program is coordinated by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), put into operation by Eletrobrás and its subsidiaries and executed in partnership with State governments and the electricity distributors. Monitoring compliance with program targets is the responsibility of the National Electric Energy Agency - ANEEL.

At the State level, the program is administered by management committees whose members include representatives of Federal and State governments, State regulatory agencies, City halls, electricity distributors and civil society.

The Light for All agents have an important role. It is they who work with the communities benefited by the program and can identify the specific requirements of each location. The construction work is performed by energy distributors or by rural electrification cooperatives.

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• The Light for All program prioritizes the purchase of nationally produced equipment and the use of local labor

Investment in the first phase of the program is shared by the Federal government, the States, and electricity distributors. Of the R$ 19 billion invested or already contracted up to September 2011, the Federal Government was responsible for R$ 13.7 billion. The resources come from the Energy Development Account (CDE) and the Global Reversion Reserve (RGR), and are re-passed, respectively, as sunk cost or as financing.

The Light for All program prioritizes the purchase of nationally produced equipment and the use of local labor. Where possible materials for manufacturing electrical connections are purchased in the community that is to be supplied, which amplifies the socio-economic effects of the program. It is estimated that the Light for All program has been responsible for generating 426,000 direct and indirect jobs since its inception in 2003.

The presence of the Ministry of Mines and Energy in rural communities also acted as a conduit for other ministries to enter with their social programs, such as installing health clinics, the construction of improved sanitation, or communication and education services. 

Another benefit that comes to some rural communities is the implementation of Centers for Community Production (CCPs), aided by the Integration Actions of the Light for All program, which aim to promote local socioeconomic development through rural production. According to the productive vocation of the region, many families use the CCPs for the correct storage fruits, vegetables and milk, or to initiate activities that depend on electricity, such as manufacturing, for example. The MME has already assisted 681 CCPs that have benefited over 28,000 families, with an investment of R$ 16.7 million.

One of the challenges of the program is to bring electricity to the inhabitants of remote regions, especially the Amazon, where a conventional electricity network is not feasible. To meet this demand several projects for generating alternative energy from clean, renewable sources are being developed. Examples are the implementation of photovoltaic mini-generators and mini-networks (using sunlight) and harnessing wind power, the use of fiberglass cable poles that are lighter and easier to transport, as well as the use of underwater cables that overcome the challenges of installation in water courses.

These results have attracted the interest of countries that still have barriers to the universalization of electricity, and Brazil has established technical exchanges with South Africa, Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, India, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Peru, Kenya and Zambia, to bring the experiences of Light for All to these countries.

Source:
Ministry of Mines and Energy