Irene Lôbo
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - The minister of Mines and Energy, Silas Rondeau, said today (25) that the Light for All program will have made electricity available to two million Brazilian families by the end of November. According to Rondeau, approximately 1.6 million connections have been installed up to now, and preparations are underway for another 577 thousand connections.

According to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), the federal government's Light for All program began in 2004 and plans to extend electricity to over 12 million people by 2008. "We have invested more than US$ 880 million in the program so far, and the goal is to invest US$ 3.9 billion," the minister said.

Rondeau pointed out that the program's target population consists of needy families that live in rural areas. According to him, 84% of the families benefitted by the program meet these criteria. The minister also recalled that the arrival of electricity in rural municipalities makes it easier to integrate other federal government programs, as well as improving health, education, water supply, and sanitation services.

Also regarding the Light for All program, Rondeau observed that the government will fulfill the goal of universalizing electricity in the country seven years ahead of schedule, in 2008 instead of 2015. It is expected that in 2008 all Brazilian municipalities will have access to electricity.

Translation: David Silberstein