EDP signs contract to supply energy to the Government of Ceará

By EDP

February 4, 2025

This press release was published in English using an automatic translation system.

EDP, a company that operates in all segments of the Brazilian electricity sector, has signed a contract with the Government of Ceará, through the State Infrastructure Secretariat, to supply energy through the free market, in the retail modality. The contract provides for the supply of 13.4 MW on average (or 117,000.00 MWh/year), until 2029, from renewable sources, to meet the demand of 144 state agencies. The supply began in November 2024.

Among the 17 bodies that have already migrated to the free energy market are the Ceará Events Center, the Arena Castelão, the headquarters of Forensic Science, Seinfra, the Health Department, in addition to five UPAs and the Leonardo Da Vinci and Dr. Waldemar Alcântara hospitals, in Fortaleza, which will now operate with energy from clean sources, promoting cost reduction and more sustainable consumption.

The transition of the other departments will be carried out gradually, with priority given to large units with high energy consumption, in order to ensure agility in saving resources. The next departments to be migrated are the State Academy of Public Security (AESP), the Casa da Mulher Brasileira (Women's Secretariat) and the Ceará Hematology and Hemotherapy Center (Hemoce) units in Fortaleza, Iguatu and Crato. The Government of Ceará expects that the migration will represent an average saving of more than 20% in electricity costs.

For Ceará’s Infrastructure Secretary, Hélio Winston Leitão, joining the Free Energy Market reinforces the Ceará Government’s commitment to more sustainable consumption. “We are committed to the energy transition and the sustainability of our public facilities. With this initiative, we are not only ensuring significant savings for the public coffers, but also a conscious supply, originating from renewable sources and which will bring benefits to future generations of the entire population of Ceará.”

In addition to the financial impact, state agencies will be protected from fluctuations in tariff flags, as the contracted tariff is fixed for the period, ensuring budgetary predictability and independence from external conditions.

“Closing this partnership with the Government of Ceará further reinforces our performance and pioneering role in the free energy market. We have a consolidated operation, which allows us to act with excellence and reliability in migrating customers to this market and in supplying renewable energy, with competitive conditions. In this way, we contribute to helping more and more companies reduce their energy costs and have more sustainable operations”, highlights Diogo Baraban, Commercial Director of EDP in South America.

Expansion

In 2024, with the opening of the Free Contracting Environment (ACL) for medium and high voltage consumers, EDP saw a leap in the number of retail customers, the gateway to this market. In January 2025, the company reached the mark of 1,019 consumer units – which corresponds to a volume of around 98 MWm, the vast majority of which are units with demands below 500kW.

In this scenario of gradual market opening, EDP has been expanding its portfolio and seeking to play a leading role in the SME segment, both in the free energy market and in distributed solar generation, which is also a priority segment in the company's growth strategy in Brazil. In addition to focusing on infrastructure, EDP has been investing in expanding its sales team, migration systems and customer relationship platforms.