Unavailability Measurement System: helping hydroelectric plants demonstrate their performance and improve their revenue.
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To ensure transparency, reliability and fairness for hydroelectric power producers: this is the aim of the unavailability measurement system developed by Omexom in Brazil. By transforming a regulatory constraint into a performance lever, the VINCI Energies energy infrastructure brand is contributing to the sustainable modernisation of Brazil’s electricity assets.
Small hydroelectric power plants have an important role in the Brazilian electricity matrix. Therefore, their automation, supervision, and measurement need attention and make the Omexom’s Unavailability Measurement System *UMS) so essential.
In creating transparency, reliability and fairness, it is becoming a strategic tool for the energy reallocation mechanism, which is key to sharing hydrological risk between producers.
Previously, small hydroelectric plants and non-centralised hydroelectric generation facilities faced a major difficulty in that their physical guarantee (the quantity of energy considered “guaranteed”) did not always reflect their actual production. The gaps between theoretical data and real-world hydrological conditions can trigger unjustified penalties.
A Normative Resolution (ANEEL no. 1.085/2024) by Brazil’s National Electrical Energy Agency has now corrected this distortion by offering two methods for calculating unavailability: one based on weighted average production; the other, more precise, based on physical measurements recorded by the UMS.
Complete and integrated solution
In response to this new legislation, Omexom Brazil has developed a system capable of measuring the power lost in a plant in accordance with the Brazilian regulator’s requirements. “The advantage for our customers is obvious,” says André Xaia, Hydro Business Manager at Omexom Brazil. “If this power is not measured, the new regulations may penalise a power plant by attributing a loss unrelated to its actual performance.”
Eight plants operated by ELERA (Ivan Botelho I, II & III; Túlio Cordeiro; Ormeo Junqueira; Guary; Cristina; Zé Tunin) and one plant by HYBRAZIL (São Luiz) are already equipped with a full Omexom’s UMS.
“Our aim is not only to apply the standard, but also to give our customers peace of mind with a fair measurement, promoting this clean and renewable energy source.”
This solution combines hydraulic sensors and electrical panels with a proprietary calculation algorithm and automated data acquisition system. “We offer a complete solution: design, instrumentation, automation, panel fabrication, assembly and commissioning,” says André Xaia.
Transforming a constraint into an opportunity
This integrated approach relies on multidisciplinary expertise. “The UMS requires detailed understanding of hydroelectric concepts combined with instrumentation and automation applications,” explains André Xaia. “We have been active in this market for a long time, which means we can combine technical expertise with regulatory compliance.”
In line with the criteria defined by the electrical energy regulator ANEEL and the Brazilian clean energy production association ABRAGEL – relating to automation, traceability, redundancy, security and data encryption – the Omexom system provides measurement independently of the human factor.
“Our solution is fully compliant with the concepts the regulator has established,” explains André Xaia. “As it’s new legislation, there may yet be adjustments, but we think our systems will be those least in need of modifications.”
As well as helping with compliance, the UMS enables producers to defend themselves against the effects of an unfair assessment of their energy availability. In other words, this technology redresses the balance: it measures what operators are actually responsible for and avoids penalising them for hydrological factors beyond their control.
The mission carried out by Omexom Brazil follows this logic to transform a regulatory constraint into an opportunity to boost performance and reliability. André Xaia concludes: “Our aim is not only to apply the standard, but also to give our customers peace of mind with a fair measurement, promoting this clean and renewable energy source.”
This makes the UMS more than a regulatory tool – it is above all a strategic technology for a rapidly evolving sector seeking to reconcile fairness, efficiency and sustainability. And it helps Omexom consolidate its role as a key player in the modernisation of Brazil’s electricity assets.
04/16/2026
