Direct contact from Âmbar to the president of the CCEE during the Capacity Reserve Auction triggered an audit, though it did not affect the outcome, despite later questions raised by the company.
The Electric Power Trade Chamber (CCEE) conducted an internal audit following an incident during the Capacity Reserve Auction (LRCap) on March 18, when Âmbar, the energy arm of J&F, directly contacted the entity’s president. The company reported difficulties accessing the bidding system—an episode that, according to the audit report, did not compromise the integrity of the auction or provide preferential treatment to the participant.
This event gained prominence after being recorded in the auction process documents sent by the CCEE to the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel). Days after the auction, Âmbar filed a formal appeal with the regulatory agency, challenging the results and alleging a blockage that supposedly prevented the Santa Cruz thermoelectric plant from participating in one of the rounds.
Incident Details and CCEE Analysis
The audit reveals that the agent, although not named in the registration document, initially contacted the auction’s service center, claiming a systemic failure that the technical team promptly confirmed did not exist. Faced with persistent complaints, Alexandre Ramos, president of the CCEE, was called upon.
He went to the area outside the auction room, where he was informed by the president of Aneel’s Permanent Auction Commission (CPL) that the event was proceeding without anomalies. Subsequent technical analysis concluded that the difficulty encountered by the participant stemmed from their own company’s network operations and access, rather than failures in the auction system.
The audit report emphasized that “no information was passed on to the participant” and that the verification followed “the standard procedure,” reinforcing the transparency and fairness of the process.
Appeals and Rejection by Aneel
Five days after the LRCap, Âmbar filed formal appeals with Aneel. The company requested the reopening of rounds or the cancellation of certain auction products, claiming it had been harmed by the classification of the Araucária II thermal plant and the alleged impossibility of placing bids for the Santa Cruz thermal plant.
In response, other companies such as Eneva, Petrobras, and Origem Energia presented counter-arguments, requesting the rejection of the appeals. Both the Permanent Auction Commission and the Aneel board accepted the counter-arguments, deciding to reject Âmbar‘s claims and finalizing the auction results.
Impact and Internal Consequences
The LRCap incident at the CCEE preceded the departure of Marcelo Zanatta from the helm of Âmbar. Although speculation suggested that the leadership change was already being planned, investigations indicate that this specific episode during the auction was a determining factor in the change of company management. This event underscores the complexity and sensitivity of energy trading processes in Brazil, as well as the rigor required to ensure fairness and transparency in clean energy sector auctions.
