Brazil: CADE denounces electrical equipment cartel

Brazilian competition regulator CADE has issued an opinion, published on December 30th 2015, whereby it condemns 11 companies for international cartel activity, with negative effects for Brazil’s market of gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) electric equipment.   GIS is a product used to control energy influx in electricity distribution networks, being the main element in a power station.   

The companies involved are: Alstom Holdings S.A., Alstom Hydro Energia Brasil Ltda, Areva T&D S.A, Alstom Grid Energia Ltda, Japan AE Power Systems Corporation, Mitisubishi Eletric Corporation, Siemens AG, Siemens Ltda, Toshiba Corporation, VA Tech Transmission & Distribuition GmbH & Co, VA Tech Transmissão e Distribuição Ltda.

According to the Superintendence’s opinion, between 1988 and 2004, the companies would have coordinated the concession of GIS projects on an international basis, following a set of rules and principles regarding defined market shares, fixing prices and dividing territories among specific members of the arrangement. The objective of the cartel consisted in having its participants obtaining and maintaining predefined market shares. 

Full content: CADE

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