A former employee of the hydroelectric plant, Janja plays a prominent role in influencing the budget of events sponsored by the company; PT management allocated R$43.8 billion to sponsored events
The Hydroelectric Power Plant will end 2024 with a debt of approximately R$333 million, according to a document from the (National Electric Energy Agency). Here is it (PDF – 276 kB).
In the assessment of agents in the electricity sector, part of the gap can be explained by a “parallel budget”with funds allocated to events unrelated to the generation of electrical energy. These transfers do not pass through the scrutiny of institutions responsible for overseeing the public budget, such as the (Federal Audit Court) or the National Congress. This is because Itaipu is a binational company, led by Brazil and Paraguay.
According to an investigation by the Poder360the hydroelectric plant’s sponsorship of events skyrocketed from May 2023, 2 months after (PT) as Brazilian general director of the state-owned company. His name was named after the president (PT). First Lady Janja had influence on some of these parallel transfers (read more below).
Since then, there have been more than 400 sponsorships, from sports championships to political events, such as the “Critical Balance of Lava Jato” in October 2023. According to the Itaipu Sponsorship Booklet, transfers for actions that “have a political, electoral or partisan character”. Read the document (PDF – 3 MB).
In total, under the management of Ênio Verri, Itaipu spent R$43.8 million on sponsorships from March 2023 to October 2024. In October of this year alone, R$15.9 million were spent on G20 events, held in November.
In the infographic below, read the complete list of events sponsored by Itaipu from January 2023 to October 2024, divided into 46 pages. Click the columns to reorder by month, instrument number, and event. To open in another tab, click .
In addition to the initiatives carried out, the hydroelectric plant also began to sign agreements and agreements. “2 other recent examples draw attention: R$1.3 billion for the infrastructure of the city of Belém do Pará and R$81 million for one at the request of President Lula”says , president of .
JANJA FACTOR
The First Lady has . She worked at the binacional for around 14 years. In 2019, shortly after dating President Lula, Janja joined the Itaipu Voluntary Dismissal Program. At the time, his salary was R$20,000.
Since the beginning of the 3rd Lula government, the first lady worked to get the company to sponsor several events. Highlight for the “, event that preceded the G20 summit, in November 2024, and was sponsored by several state-owned companies. In addition to Itaipu, there were transfers from Banco do Brasil, BNDES, Caixa Econômica Federal and Petrobras.
Itaipu also for the COP30, in Belém, in November 2025, for example. In August 2024, Janja said the hydroelectric plant could .
In July 2023, Janja said that the hydroelectric plant has an important role in the reconstruction of Brazil. The statement was made during a , the sector where he worked when he worked in Itaipu.
“Itaipu has a very important role in the reconstruction of Brazil, of a new Brazil that we are already envisioning, because in these 6 months we have already seen a lot happen. […] Itaipu’s contribution is not only to the generation of clean energy, but also to social responsibility and sustainable development in Brazil”, said at the time.
In her inauguration speech, in March 2023, Verri described the period in which the first lady worked at the Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant, starting in 2003. “It is a privilege and a huge responsibility to manage a company with so many stories. Stories that the First Lady knows well and has dedicated 16 years of work, contributing to areas of social responsibility”these.
MORE EXPENSIVE ELECTRICITY BILL
According to the Aneel document, more than US$301 million was allocated to offset the tariff impact on Brazilians’ energy bills in 2024, after May this year.
As established, the Brazilian side agreed to an adjustment from US$ 16.71 to US$ 19.28/kW in Cuse (Unit Cost of Electricity Service) until 2026. However, a mechanism was created to, in practice, maintain the current cost to the Brazilian consumer.
The adjustment will be compensated by Itaipu itself, in a kind of cashback. The extra amount that will be received by the Brazilian margin will be reverted to low tariffs and will deduct the extra amount. The Lula government assured that there would be no increase for Brazilian consumers.
However, an estimated contribution of US$293.8 million for tariff compensation for 2025 – a value that, according to Aneel, will not be enough to avoid an increase in the cost of energy for the final consumer.
In Sales’ assessment, the Cuse should have been vigorously reduced to approximately US$ 12.6/kW in recent years since its main component – the financing to build the plant – was fully paid off and ceased to exist.
“CUSE rose 93% in the last 2 years, inflated by expenditure on “social and environmental projects”. In Brazil, these resources are allocated to numerous projects without any relation to the plant’s socio-environmental impacts. These are gigantic resources and correspond to a true ‘parallel budget’ for both countries”, says Sales.
“These resources, it is always good to remember, are charged, in their entirety, on Brazilians’ electricity bills”he concludes.
OTHER SIDE
O Poder360 He tried to contact Itaipu, but was unsuccessful until the publication of this report. This digital newspaper will continue trying to make contact and the text will be updated if a response is sent.
