Eletrobras (ELET3) hires 1,000 employees, organizes energy trading

THE Eletrobras (ELET3) is advancing with the renewal of its workforce by hiring 1,000 employees, seeking to bring more young people to its staff in the midst of the ongoing restructuring after the privatization of the company, said this Wednesday the CEO of the electric company , Wilson Ferreira Junior.

At bank event Credit Suissehe also pointed out that another focus of the company throughout 2023 will be the organization of its energy commercialization area in the free market, an activity that was not an “expertise” of Eletrobras and that becomes even more important in view of the current scenario of low energy prices.

On the organizational side, Ferreira Júnior recalled that Eletrobras launched a voluntary resignation program (PDV) last year, which was joined by around 2,500 employees, mainly in the operational area.

Now, Eletrobras has sought to “oxygenate” its workforce and is betting on the growth of areas that will be important for the company’s new moment, such as digital and M&A (mergers and acquisitions, in the acronym in English), said the executive .

According to the CFO of Eletrobras, Elvira Presta, an agreement already signed with the union will allow the opening of a second voluntary dismissal program (PDV), until April 2024, involving 20% ​​of its workforce.

Energy Trading

The decoquetization of Eletrobras’ hydroelectric plants starting this year, as foreseen in the privatization process, will release expressive volumes of energy that can be contracted in the free market, at market prices.

According to Ferreira Júnior, Eletrobras is focused on strengthening its commercialization area throughout 2023, creating new products that allow the company to capture good energy sales opportunities in a challenging scenario of low prices.

Electric already sold, last year, a good part of the volume of energy available to the free market for 2023, at “good prices”.

13% of the volume remains to be sold for this year and around 30% for 2024, said the CEO.

Asked about the possibility of the government interfering in the hydroelectric decommissioning schedule, he said he believed that this would not be feasible, since this schedule guided the calculation of the 26.6 billion reais already paid by Eletrobras to the Union in the privatization.

Ferreira Júnior assessed that this idea, as well as that of increasing the power of the Union in the company, are manifestations of a “political” nature.

“The government will realize the advantages of being a partner in a company that has growth prospects,” he said.

New opportunities

The CEO of Eletrobras also pointed out that the company is analyzing participating in the next energy transmission auctions, an important segment in which the company operates.

According to him, the company can be “very competitive” in the auctions, but it will have financial discipline.

Eletrobras did not participate in transmission auctions for several years and, in the middle of last year, it was again victorious when it won a project in Rondônia.