Infrastructure and energy
Anvisa has published four resolutions to enable access to important products in the fight against the covid-19 pandemic, such as medicines, sanitizers, equipment, and medical devices.
The state of public calamity in Brazil has loosened State financial controls. The measure may help to reduce the economic impacts of the covid-19 pandemic, but it ends up exposing the national budget of Brazil to the default risk.
The goal is to streamline and simplify various procedures to accelerate the raising of funds from multilateral organizations to finance projects related to combating the covid-19 pandemic. States and municipalities, public banks, and development agencies are the primary beneficiaries.
With executive orders 949 and 950, the Brazilian government transfers 900 million Brazilian Reais to electric companies in order to offset the discounts granted to low-income consumers and establishes emergency solutions for the sector.
Standstill agreement applies to all of BNDES’s direct and indirect financing instruments. The suspension is valid for six months in order to mitigate the impacts of the current covid-19 crisis for borrowing companies.
Resolution No. 806/2020 of the ANP (National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels) establishes new procedures for the control and reduction of flaring and losses of oil and natural gas in exploration and production (E&P) activities.
Approximately 20 years after the first federal and state programs for highway concessions for the private sector, the concession agreements then entered into between the public administration and the operators of these sections will soon expire and there is much expectation regarding what measures will be taken in relation to them.
The future of distributed generation: proposed revision of system rules goes for public consultation
Distributed generation (DG) allows consumers to generate their own electricity from renewable sources or qualified cogeneration and, where possible, provide the surplus to their own local distribution grid. The system has two modes: distributed microgeneration (with installed power less than or equal to 75 kW) and distributed mini-generation (with installed power greater than 75 kW and less than or equal to 5 MW) of electricity. With the possibility of new regulations for DG, the innovations expected may combine financial economy, social and environmental awareness, and self-sustainability.
After more than six years under discussion, Bill No. 6,407/13 (the Gas Bill) was approved by the Chamber of Deputies' Mines and Energy Committee on October 23rd. The text amends provisions of Law No. 11,909/09, which establishes the legal framework for the natural gas sector in Brazil.
Created by Law No. 12,431/11 to promote the participation of private investment in financing the infrastructure sector in Brazil, infrastructure debentures have been gaining ever more force since 2016, with the reduction of the participation of the National Development Bank (BNDES) in the financing of new projects and the stabilization of Brazilian macroeconomic conditions.
Resolution No. 4,751 of the National Monetary Council (CMN), issued on September 26, regulated the possibility of settlement through redemption and offer of redemption of debentures supported by Law No. 12,431/11, which deals with raising funds for infrastructure investment projects. This scenario was prohibited under the terms of subsection II of the sole paragraph of article 1 of that law.
The legalization of cannabis sativa for medicinal purposes is a controversial topic that has been debated for a long time in Brazil and in other countries. Despite criticism, some favorable points of the measure need to be considered, especially at this time when bills on the subject are pending before Congress and Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) is spearheading public consultations on the regulation of controlled cultivation of the plant for medicinal use.
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