With the commitment to offer clean, continuous and quality energy to its customers in the Northeast of the country, Neoenergia is investing in the modernization of electricity networks in the states of Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte. The company has been expanding the installation of equipment that uses self healing systems, technology that restores the supply in an automated way quickly and safely. The recomposition of the network is also being carried out through works to make the provision of service safer and more efficient.

The services are part of the investments of R$ 1.3 billion in distribution networks made in the first quarter of 2022, with a focus on expansion, asset renewal and actions to combat losses. 

Network automation is part of Neoenergia's strategy to improve the quality of power supply. Self healing is a technology that automates operations in cases of occurrences such as tree falls, atmospheric discharges or animal actions. The area affected by the problem is isolated and the largest number of consumers can have the power restored within 60 seconds. This advantage is demonstrated in the indicators established by the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) - DEC, which evaluates the duration of interruptions, and FEC, which evaluates the frequency at which they happen.

The equipment is coordinated by the Integrated Operations Center (IOC), which receives the exact location of the fault, also speeding up the work of electricians if there is a need for field repairs. With the use of the system, the time of restoring the power supply can be reduced. In addition, the technology can lead to a decrease in the number of customers affected by complications.

"The modernizations and new facilities bring great benefits to consumers because they reinforce the quality of the power supply and bring more reliability in the service, in addition to ensuring more safety for the population," said Jader Carneiro, superintendent of Networks and Substations.

In Rio Grande do Norte, low and medium voltage electricity networks were modernized in 17 municipalities in the West, Upper West, Costa Branca and Vale do Assu regions. Neoenergia Cosern also installed 39 new remote-controlled equipment in the electricity grid of 18 cities in the four regions.

In Bahia, the upgrade of distribution networks benefited three cities: Itapetinga, Lauro de Freitas and the capital, Salvador. Neoenergia Coelba installed 58 reclosers and 26 self healing schemes, with more than 82,000 customers.

In Pernambuco, about four million consumers benefited from the implementation of 96 km of medium voltage network in 134 municipalities, being 28 km of crosslinked polyethylene network (XLPE) or isolated and 68 km of conventional network. Two voltage regulators were also installed by Neoenergia Pernambuco in Caruaru and Petrolina, economic hubs of the interior of the state, in addition to 52 line relinkers in 33 cities in the state.