The one determined by the National Consumer Price Index 15 (IPCA-15) was 0.11%. The data was released on Friday (24) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and represents the lowest monthly value since July 2023, when there was negative inflation (-0.07).
The rate is also the lowest for a month of January throughout the Real Plan, which started in 1994. IBGE researchers identified that the cost of living in the month was pulled up by items linked to food and beverage groups (1.06 %) and transport (1.01%).
However, the item that most impacted the IPCA-15 individually was the electricity bill, which regressed 15.46%, helping to hold inflation. This variation meant a 0.6 percentage point decrease in IPCA-15.
Bonus of Itaipu
The explanation for this relief in the cost of the electricity bill is the so -called Itaipu bonus, which benefited in January more than 78.3 million consumers. This represents 97% of the total residential and rural units in the country on December 31, 2023.
These customers from electric companies receive this month discounts on the energy tariff.
In total, the discount value reaches R $ 1.3 billion. This money represents the positive balance in Itaipu’s electricity commercialization account, the Itaipu account. This money is collected by Itaipu Binacional, which generates energy from the plant located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay, along the Paraná River.
They receive this apportioned money in the form of discounts residential and rural Brazilian consumers who had consumption of less than 350 kilowatt hours (KWh) in at least one month of 2023.
Calculation
The Itaipu Bonus fare for 2023 was approved by the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) with the amount of R $ 0.011648844 by KWh.
To understand how much they will receive, the consumer must multiply the value of the bonus tariff by quantitative in kWh informed in the power invoice each month of 2023 where consumption was less than 350 kWh-the value of the bonus for the consumer will be A sum of these monthly results.
Example, if a family consumed exactly 100 kWh a month in the 12 months of the year, the calculation will be $ 0.011648844 (pipe rate) x 100 (monthly consumption in kWh) x 12 (months), totaling $ 13, 98.
As the average consumption in 2023 among the 78.3 million benefited units was 119 kWh per month, a family with this consumption would receive the bonus of R $ 16.66.
DISCRIMINATION IN THE ACCOUNT
To find out if it has benefited, the consumer needs to observe the light bill issued by the distributors. It is discriminated against in the “Invoice Items” tab, such as “Itaipu Bonus Art.21, Law no. 10438/02 ”. In the same field, it is possible to check exactly what the value of the rebate.
Itaipu Brazilian Director-General Enio Verri comments that relief in the account is an extra instrument to combat inflation. “The calculation of electricity enters the basic basket of inflation, that is, when we lower the value of electricity, low inflation as well, and this helps the whole country,” he says.
Approval
The Itaipu account has shown a positive result since 2018. Balance distribution to consumers is a determination of Decree 11.027/2022.
The distribution of the balance of R $ 1.3 billion was approved on November 26, 2024 by the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) and announced by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME).
The decision is a way to distribute state profit directly to society.
The Brazilian company of participation in Nuclear and Binacional SA (ENBPAR) is responsible for the management of the Itaipu account and has the attribution to pass the amount of the bonus to distributors of the National Interconnected System, so that they make credit on consumer invoices.
