Over 350,000 Families in Maranhão Risk Losing Electricity Bill Discounts

More than 350,000 families in Maranhão, Brazil, are at risk of losing their discounts on electricity bills under the Social Tariff for Electric Energy (TSEE) program. Equatorial Maranhão issued a warning following new regulations from the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel). Approximately three out of every ten beneficiaries, totaling over 1.1 million consumers currently receiving the tariff in the state, must update their information in the Federal Government's Unified Registry for Social Programs (CadÚnico) to avoid suspension of their discount. In the Greater Island region alone, over 90,000 families need to update their data, with more than 64,000 residing in São Luís. Other municipalities affected include São José de Ribamar with 17,490 families and Paço do Lumiar with 9,801 families needing to update their records. The new Aneel rules, outlined in Normative Resolution nº 1.147/2025, stipulate that the energy bill holder must be registered in the same family unit in CadÚnico, and the municipality linked to the Social Identification Number (NIS) must match the consumer's residence. CadÚnico must be updated for any changes in family, address, or income, and reviewed every two years even without alterations. Furthermore, over 400,000 families in Maranhão are eligible for the Social Tariff but have not yet enrolled. Equatorial advises these families to visit a Social Assistance Reference Center (Cras) or a CadÚnico office to update their details and apply for the benefit. After updating, applicants can request inclusion in the Social Tariff through Equatorial Maranhão's customer service channels, including their virtual assistant Clara via WhatsApp at (98) 2055-0116, the company's website, or in person at an agency. Required information includes CPF, NIS or BPC number, and the consumer unit number from the electricity bill.