Position at ANP as secretary of Silveira’s ministry is guaranteed, but general director is distant, as is Aneel
The race for appointments to the board of regulatory agencies is narrowing down and there is a loss of strength to place names in strategic agencies.
The minister wants at least one name in the (National Electric Energy Agency) and one in the (National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels), but the scenario is not favorable for the president’s strongman (PT) in the energy sector.
In each of the agencies, at least two vacancies will be up for grabs in the 1st semester. The situation at the ANP is more favorable to Silveira, who was nominated by the Secretary of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, Pietro Mendes,. Initially, Mendes would migrate to the agency as general director, but at the moment the secretary must take over as one of the directors and leave the nomination to the senator (PSD-BA).
Otto’s favorite name is Artur Watt Neto, who is currently a legal consultant at (Pré-Sal Petróleo). Watt has already spent almost 12 years at the ANP, where he held the positions of deputy attorney general and deputy attorney general of the agency. He also spent time in the Silveira administration at the Ministry of Mines and Energy. He was director of the ministry’s natural gas department from March to July 2023, before joining PPSA.
At Aneel, the scenario is more complicated for Silveira. Internally, the ministry is still trying to place the Secretary of Electric Energy, Gentil Nogueira, for one of the seats in the agency. Two vacancies are being negotiated: the one left by Hélvio Guerra since May this year and the one that will open in May 2025 with the end of Ricardo Tili’s term.
Silveira wants to place Gentil in Hélvio’s seat and give the other seat to the Senate. The problem is that Gentil is highly rejected among senators. With an eye on a more palatable name in the Casa Alta, the person who gained strength was Ângelo Rezende, a lawyer close to the PT leadership in Bahia. He has the support of the senator (PT-BA).
The other vacancy should go to the senator (MDB-AM). The favorite name is Willamy Frota, former president of Amazonas Energia and former director of Eletronorte. There is still no definition as to who will fill the vacancy already open at Aneel and who will replace Tili.
All nominations for the board of directors of a regulatory agency must go through the Federal Senate. Therefore, the Upper House has great bargaining power with the government to win seats in local authorities.
