Summer time will only return in 2024 if there is an energy risk, says minister

SÃO PAULO (Reuters) – The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, said this Friday that daylight saving time will only return in the last months of this year if technical analyzes indicate an energy risk to the country due to the drought.

Speaking to journalists in Rome, he stated that the decision will be made next week and that, if a risk scenario is not identified, the government will consider the burden that the return of summer time could cause to other sectors, such as the airline industry. .

“The summary of the opera is the following: if there is an energy risk, there is no point other than implementing summer time. If there is not, then it is a cost-benefit that I will have the tranquility, serenity and courage to decide in favor of Brazil”, stated Silveira.

According to him, a final decision will have to be made next week so that Brazil can take advantage of the “optimal window” for implementing the policy, which will produce more effects if it runs from October to mid-December.

“If it is decreed, there must be at least 20 days for extremely important sectors to plan, such as the airline sector, because of international connections. And others too, like public security”, he added.

According to Silveira, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recently commented in an interview that the decision on the return of daylight saving time will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

“I will do it very much anchored in technical bases and political and social sensitivity”.