The Metropolitan Company of Water and Energy S.A (EMAE) is a company that works with the generation and supply of electric energy.

Thus, its operation consists of a hydraulic system and electric power generator, located in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, Médio Tietê, and the Paraíba do Sul River Valley. 

This system is composed of reservoirs, channels, plants, and associated structures, whose operation is focused on the rational use of surface water and the multiple use of available water resources.

In this way, the company promotes energy generation, flood control, and the supply of water for public consumption. In short, the main power generators controlled by EMAE are:

• Henry Borden Hydroelectric Plant: Located in Cubatão, SP. It has an installed capacity of 889 MW and assured energy of 121.40 MW average;

• Small Hydroelectric Plant of Porto Góes: Located in Salto, SP. It has an installed capacity of 24.8 MW and assured energy of 11.63 MW;

• Small Hydroelectric Plant of Rasgão: Located in Pirapora do Bom Jesus, SP. It has an installed capacity of 22 MW and assured energy of 11.84 MW;

• Small Hydroelectric Plant of Pirapora: Located in Pirapora do Bom Jesus, SP. It has an installed capacity of 25 MW and assured energy of 17.17 MW;

• Piratininga Thermoelectric Plant: Located in São Paulo, SP. It has an installed capacity of 472 MW.

In addition to the plants, the company also controls an extensive list of ferries, channels, dams, dikes, reservoirs, and pumping stations.

The history of EMAE began with the founding of the The São Paulo Railway, Light and Power Company Limited, in Canada and with the decree signed by the president of the republic, which authorized the operation of the company in Brazil.

In 1901, the first hydroelectric plant of Light in Brazil and the largest Brazilian at the time, the Paranaíba Plant with 2MW of capacity, began operation. In 1912, its capacity was expanded to 16 MW to maintain the energy supply.

Also in 1912, the Thermoelectric Plant in São Paulo began operation. In 1925, the Rasgão Hydroelectric Plant began operation, which had been built in a record time of seven months. 

Since 1923, engineer Asa White Kenney Billings studied the implementation of the Serra Project. The goal was to generate electric energy through the use of the elevation of the Serra do Mar.

The result of these studies was the Cubatão Plant (now Henry Borden), which began operation in 1926. In 1927, the Porto Góes Plant was acquired, which was still under construction and was inaugurated in 1928.

The year 1930 was marked by the beginning of the rectification and reversal works of the Pinheiros River, the formation of the Billings reservoir, the construction of the pumping plants of Pedreira and Traição, and the regulating dam Billings-Pedras.

In 1954, the Piratininga Thermoelectric Plant was inaugurated. With this, the generating park, which until then was almost exclusively hydraulic, began to have a complementary energy source with high reliability.

In 1960, the inauguration of two more generating units took place, thus the Piratininga Thermoelectric Plant had an installed capacity of 472 MW. In 1979, the control of Light was acquired by Eletrobrás and in 1981 the government of the State of São Paulo acquired a part of the Light system and created Eletropaulo. 

In 1996, State Law No. 9,361 was enacted, creating the State Program for Privatization (PED), providing for the Corporate and Asset Restructuring of the São Paulo Energy Sector.

Based on this law, Eletropaulo was split into 4 companies and EMAE was created. Thus, EMAE became responsible for the electric energy generation operations that were previously the responsibility of Eletropaulo.

It is worth noting that Resolution No. 72, of 03/25/98, from the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL), transferred to EMAE the rights to explore Public Electric Energy Services. 

In 2008, the Piratininga Thermoelectric Plant was leased to Baixista Santista Energia (BSE), a subsidiary of Petrobras. Finally, in 2015, the PCH Pirapora began operation.