The "Luz para Todos" (Light for All) program will further expand its reach, bringing electricity to rural areas and remote regions of the Legal Amazon. This is stipulated in decree 12.964, published by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the Official Gazette of the Union this Monday (11).
The electrification will be carried out "with the aim of strengthening local socioeconomic development, generating jobs and income, ensuring food security, and promoting the productive inclusion of beneficiary populations."
Conceived by the federal government with the objective of universalizing energy supply – especially to priority groups, community and productive infrastructure – in order to favor local development in the served regions, "Luz para Todos" also supports the training of local labor linked to the provision of the service.
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Priorities for service
According to the published text, the program will now prioritize service to families headed by women registered in the Unified Registry for Government Social Programs (CadÚnico), families with people with disabilities, dependent elderly individuals, or beneficiaries of the Continuous Benefit (BPC).
It also prioritizes rural settlements, indigenous communities, quilombola communities, riverside communities, extractivist communities, family farmers, and traditional peoples – in addition to "communities located in conservation units or directly impacted by power generation or transmission projects."
In addition to residences, "Luz para Todos" will serve public and collective infrastructure, such as internet connectivity services, water supply systems, social assistance equipment, and community food security structures.
Respect for communities and the environment
The text also stipulates that the services will seek energy solutions adapted to the specific territorial, social, cultural, environmental, and logistical characteristics of rural areas and remote regions of the Legal Amazon, "observing the principles of sustainability, energy efficiency, and decarbonization, respect for local ways of life, and the preservation of the Amazon biome."
The new legislation establishes rules for the services, including compliance with applicable environmental regulations. It also stipulates that service providers must respect the rights, ways of life, and social organization of local populations.
Finally, it prioritizes the search for "solutions that contribute to reducing energy poverty and regional inequalities in rural areas and remote regions of the Legal Amazon."
The implementation period for the program in rural areas has been extended until December 2028 (with financial closure until 2029).
17.9 million people served
According to the Planalto Palace, since 2003, the year "Luz para Todos" was created, approximately 3.8 million families have been benefited throughout the country, representing a reach of approximately 17.9 million people.
"Despite the progress, surveys by the Ministry of Mines and Energy indicate that there are still about 238,000 families without access to electricity, especially in rural areas and remote regions of the Legal Amazon," the Civil House reported.
According to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the program has a budget of R$ 2.57 billion for 2026, intended to serve up to 122,000 new families.
Adding to the already planned resources, the total investment this year amounts to R$ 6 billion.