The Chinese automaker BYD is seeking urgent intervention from Aneel to secure the electricity supply required to expand its automotive complex in Camaçari, Bahia.
The electric vehicle giant is facing a structural bottleneck that threatens a robust investment plan valued at R$ 5.5 billion. To proceed with the second phase of the plant’s development, where it intends to scale up production of hybrid and electric models, the company has formally requested that the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) take extraordinary measures to increase its contracted demand from 1.5 MW to 25 MW.
The current situation indicates that energy consumption at the industrial plant has already exceeded the contractually established limit, resulting in fines and increased operating costs. The company argues that without immediate regularization of access to the national power grid, the expansion schedule for the Bahian unit could suffer severe impacts.
Background of the Power Grid Impasse
The connection difficulty is not new and dates back to the period when the industrial complex belonged to the automaker Ford. Since 2016, successive attempts to migrate to the transmission grid have failed to materialize, whether due to missed deadlines or contractual inconsistencies. Although BYD resumed the process in 2024, the loss of subsequent regulatory deadlines and a lack of financial guarantees have kept the impasse alive.
Neoenergia Coelba, the local utility company, asserts that the project should have been migrated to the power grid years ago. The distributor advises the manufacturer to follow formal procedures, but the automaker warns of a logistical risk: if the request depends on traditional access application windows, a new opportunity would not arise until 2027, which would render the company’s short-term plans unfeasible.
The Appeal for an Exceptional Solution
Faced with this scenario, the Chinese automaker has appealed to the regulatory body requesting that the process be fast-tracked. The request involves the immediate issuance of an access opinion for the 25 MW load, as well as direct mediation between the company, the distributor, and electric sector agents.
BYD stated in its filing to regulators:
“Regularizing the power supply is essential for us to meet our production targets and consolidate this sustainable automotive hub in the Brazilian Northeast.”
The outcome of these negotiations will be decisive for the future of the Camaçari plant. Aneel is now evaluating whether there will be any flexibility to bypass current regulatory procedures, allowing BYD to continue its investments without the obstacles caused by the obsolete energy infrastructure left by previous management.
