Bolsonaro Pledges Provisional Measure Exempting Amapá Consumers From Power Bill

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro stated on Saturday that he will sign a Provisional Measure (MP) for all who were affected in Amapá by the power crisis that struck the state, pointing out that the initiative has been agreed with Senate President Davi Alcolumbre. The President did not provide a date for this to occur, stating only that it will be “soon”.

“We have already heard all interested bodies, those responsible, and we are on the verge of signing a Provisional Measure to provide a compensatory measure to all those who have been harmed by this power outage,” he said after visits to the Santana and Santa Rita substations in Macapá, where new generators have been installed.

Bolsonaro stated that the restoration of energy is nearing 100 percent, which should be achieved “in the coming days”.

According to Minister of Mines and Energy Bento Albuquerque, the Provisional Measure will exempt Amapá consumers from paying for electricity for 30 days before the measure is issued.

He said that the Ministry of Regional Development has also provided over R$21 million to assist the poorest in the state and that Petrobras is donating R$500,000 in basic food baskets to needy families in Amapá.

Present at the press conference, Alcolumbre pointed out that, in practice, the power consumption of the Amapá population will be paid through the MP in November.

Bolsonaro goes to Amapá

Bolsonaro’s decision to go to Amapá after more than two weeks of crisis in the state came after a meeting with Alcolumbre, in which the senator asked the President to personally observe the situation in the state.

Amapá has been intermittently supplied with energy since November 3rd after a fire shut down the substation. In the first four days, Amapá was completely cut off.

Source: Reuters