CIGRE Brazil - XXVIII SNPTEE Sets New Attendance Record
The largest technical event in the Latin American electricity sector brought together more than 3,000 participants from 14 countries, fostered high-level debates on innovation and energy transition, and generated over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs in Recife, capital of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil.
Recife, Brazil
19-22 October 2025
There is something that distinguishes the Seminário Nacional de Produção e Transmissão de Energia Elétrica (SNPTEE - National Seminar on Electric Power Production and Transmission) from any other technical event. More than a seminar, it is a reunion of generations—a celebration of engineering excellence and collective thinking that has shaped the Brazilian electricity sector for nearly six decades.
In 2025, this human and intellectual energy reached a new level at the Recife Expo Center, in northeastern Brazil. Held from October 19 to 22, the XXVIII National Seminar on Electric Power Production and Transmission welcomed more than 3,000 participants from 14 countries and 238 cities, consolidating SNPTEE as the largest technical event in Latin America—and one of the most influential electrical engineering forums worldwide.
Organized by CIGRE Brazil and coordinated by AXIA Energia, the seminar reaffirmed its technical, institutional, and economic relevance. Both during its preparation and execution, the event stimulated the regional economy, generating 1,300 direct jobs and approximately 4,000 indirect jobs—clear evidence of the electricity sector’s positive impact on innovation, knowledge generation, and social development.
Knowledge and Cooperation
Over four days, SNPTEE 2025 reflected the sector’s main trends and challenges through an extensive technical program that included 518 technical papers, 33 lectures, 16 Study Groups, five integrative panels, and three thematic forums.
The Study Groups—the technical backbone of the event—received more than 2,000 abstract submissions, from which 640 papers were selected and 530 presented. The collaborative format, combining technical presentations, debates, and open evaluations, reinforced SNPTEE’s position as a benchmark for excellence and scientific exchange.
Thematic Forums
The thematic forums provided a platform for diverse perspectives and professional trajectories within the electricity sector.
CEOs Forum
Bringing together more than 30 business leaders, the CEOs Forum discussed pathways for the future of the Brazilian electricity sector amid technological, regulatory, and market transformation. The discussions emphasized that leadership in clean energy depends not only on strategy, innovation, and applied research, but above all on qualified people.
A central topic was the “invisible labor crisis,” marked by a shortage of engineers and technicians affecting all stages of the value chain—from construction and planning to the operation of smart grids. Participants advocated stronger collaboration among companies, universities, and regulators, as well as initiatives to train and retain talent (such as Adopt a School, Open Doors, and the Engineering League). The debate also highlighted the need to incorporate criteria such as digitalization, energy storage, cybersecurity, and innovation—beyond lowest-cost approaches—into the development of the power system of the future.
Women in Energy Forum
Consolidated as a space for reflection and development of technical and institutional knowledge, the Women Forum reaffirmed diversity and female representation as essential drivers of innovation and sustainability in the electricity sector.
The panel “Battle of the Currents,” moderated by Gabriela Desire (Women in Energy – WiE, CIGRE-Brazil), brought together professionals from public agencies and private companies to connect long-term planning with real-time system operation. Topics included regional and resource integration, the value of human capital, and technological challenges such as high-voltage direct current (HVDC) substations. With a full auditorium and strong audience engagement, the forum reinforced that diversity is now firmly embedded in the technical agenda and that multiple perspectives improve decision-making in an increasingly complex power system.
Academic Forum
The Academic Forum strengthened the bridge between universities, research centers, and the electricity sector through CIGRE-Brazil. Representatives from 25 higher-education institutions and five research organizations discussed professional training and the acceleration of research, development, and innovation in the context of the energy transition.
Organized into five working groups, the forum produced a synthesis document and an action plan, supported by a national survey with 80 valid responses. The results confirmed two key challenges: a shortage of skilled labor and the need for stronger interaction between academia and industry in R&D&I. Proposed actions included the creation of a permanent education committee, initiatives to attract students from secondary and technical schools, the establishment of a digital research observatory, closer integration between CIGRE-Brazil Study Committees and universities, and joint efforts to modernize and finance research laboratories.
Expo SNPTEE: Technology, Business, and Integration
With 98 national and international exhibitors, Expo SNPTEE showcased the technological and industrial strength of the electricity sector, bringing together solutions, services, and innovations that enhance system efficiency, reliability, and modernization.
SNPTEE 2025 reaffirmed its contribution to regional, technical, and institutional development. Hosted in Recife—a strategic hub for renewable energy—the event highlighted the Northeast of Brazil as a center of innovation, expertise, and knowledge generation.
The seminar concluded with a cultural celebration at Mirante do Paço, one of Recife’s iconic landmarks, reinforcing its legacy of learning and integration. SNPTEE once again demonstrated that it is, above all, a space for collective construction—where engineering, knowledge, and purpose converge to strengthen the Brazilian electricity sector.
Held biennially, SNPTEE already has its next edition scheduled: the 29th SNPTEE will take place in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, southern Brazil, in 2027.
Suggested content
