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Entry · Quality and losses

Regulatory loss percentage

What loss does the tariff recognize for each concession holder?

● checked against the primary source on Sep 30, 2026Source: ANEEL

Acronyms: ANEEL, Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency; SAMP, Market Information Monitoring System for Economic Regulation, from ANEEL.

In one sentence

Percentages of technical and non-technical losses that ANEEL sets for each concession holder in the periodic tariff review and that the tariff recognizes.

Real example

Number read from the published database

In the most recent stretch of each of the 49 distribution utilities with a series, the regulatory technical percentage implicit in SAMP ranges from 1.0% (CELETRO) to 20.4% (COOPERLUZ), with a median of 8.0%, of the published injected energyNature of the data: Estimated. The 49 are the distribution utilities (of 103 with data for 2025) for which the observatory can infer the percentage from the SAMP series. The non-technical regulatory percentage is not in an accessible open database.

No Check this number record of its own in this example: the number comes from the panel's published database, which carries the source and the reference date.

See in the panel

Estimated: Value obtained by a statistical procedure, with uncertainty.

Why it matters

It is the reference against which one measures how much of the actual loss the tariff covers; what exceeds the regulatory level is not passed on when ANEEL observes inefficiency.

How it is measured

Technical: models of Module 7 of Prodist (Electricity Distribution Procedures in the National Electric System) on the grid of each distribution utility. Non-technical: performance comparison between distribution utilities (Submodule 2.6 of Proret, the Tariff Regulation Procedures). The observatory can only infer the technical one from the SAMP series; the non-technical one is not in an accessible open database.

Unit: percentage

Not to be confused with

  • Energy losses

    Energy losses are the actual figure, calculated by ANEEL in SAMP; the regulatory percentage is the level ANEEL recognizes in the tariff of each concession holder. A regulatory parameter is not an actual loss.

What cannot be concluded

  • A regulatory parameter is neither an actual loss nor an obligation of zero loss.
  • The observatory shows only the technical percentage, inferred from the SAMP series itself where the ratio stays constant for 6 months or more; it is not the percentage read from the ANEEL act.
  • The non-technical regulatory percentage is not in an accessible open database, and is therefore not shown.

Related entries

In the learning paths

See in the panel

Official source

  • ANEELANEEL page “Perdas de Energia” (Topics, Distribution), published on Feb 16, 2022 and updated on Apr 30, 2026 

    Literal excerpt from the document
    Portuguese only“A ANEEL define os percentuais regulatórios das perdas técnicas e não técnicas das concessionárias na Revisão Tarifária Periódica, que ocorre a cada 4 ou 5 anos.”
    Literal excerpt from the document
    Portuguese only“Os limites regulatórios de perdas não técnicas são calculados conforme as regras definidas no Submódulo 2.6 do Proret.”

    In other words: the non-technical loss limit of each distribution utility comes from a comparison with the others, which takes into account efficiency and the socioeconomic characteristics of the area.

    Literal excerpt from the document
    Portuguese only“Resumidamente, seus valores são calculados pela ANEEL por uma metodologia de comparação de desempenho das distribuidoras, observando critérios de eficiência e as características socioeconômicas das áreas de concessão.”

Documents accessed and text checked on Sep 30, 2026.