Neoenergia S A : Access to electricity is a fundamental social right of every citizen. Neoenergia is a company ...

Access to electricity is a fundamental social right of every citizen. Neoenergia is a company that complies with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 7, which is to establish energy accessible to all. In this sense, the company contributes significantly through the 'Luz para Todos' program, carried out by the distributors in partnership with the Federal Government in order to ensure the universalization of energy in the rural area. The works extend over 415 cities in Bahia and the goal is to universalize the entire state by 2021.

From 2004, when the program was created, until September 2020, Coelba​ - Neoenergia concessionaire in Bahia - has already made more than 664 thousand connections and benefited 2.4 million people, bringing quality of life and economic growth to the most distant places in the state. The other numbers of the project are also impressive. During this period, 1.7 million poles were installed, 128 thousand transformers and 101 substations. When it comes to the primary grid - the one that transports the high voltage energy from the substations to the transformers on the poles - it reaches 100.3 thousand km of lines built. The secondary grid, which is responsible for bringing the lower voltage energy to the homes, accounts for 30,000 km of lines.

'The main result that we see with the program is the social transformation brought about in these municipalities. The population now has access to basic items, such as storing food in the refrigerator, the region's economy strengthens, in addition to the establishment of businesses and new sources of income, says Mayline Pinto, supervisor of the Luz Para Todos Management Unit at Neoenergia.

Aimed at the rural population, Luz Para Todos seeks to ensure that the installation of electricity in the countryside results in the strengthening of rural production, since it contributes to the permanence of the producer in the region. In addition, with the arrival of electricity in the rural area, it is common to see the return of some families who had previously migrated to other regions.

The direct benefits are the increase in income and the social inclusion of the benefited population. 'It is possible to monitor the impacts that the implementation of electricity has on the lives of families, observing how the community behaves economically after having access to electricity', reinforces the supervisor.​

KEY BENEFITS GENERATED​

Digital inclusion and the use of basic home appliances, such as refrigerators, televisions and cell phones, are some of the items that communities have access to with the arrival of electricity in their homes. The items represent a major change in the daily lives of these benefited people.

The best conditions are also reflected in the education area. When the school receives electricity, teachers can innovate with the use of technological resources and the educational institution starts offering meals to students, something that previously was not possible without the conditions for the proper storage of meals. The results are seen through the social and economic development of communities, benefiting current and future generations in favor of quality of life.​