Brazil issues new regulations for stationary lithium batteries

Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) recently issued Decree No. 5314, formally approving the technical requirements and testing procedures for conformity assessment of stationary lithium-ion secondary batteries used in telecommunications equipment. This decree is now in effect and will be mandatory from October 12, 2026. Afterward, related products must undergo certification before entering the Brazilian market, and manufacturers must adjust their product compliance strategies accordingly.

 Key Points of the Conformity Assessment Requirements for Stationary Lithium-ion Batteries under Decree No. 5314 

1. Legal Background and Applicable Scope

Decree No. 5314 is based on the General Telecommunications Act, the Regulations on Conformity Assessment and Approval of Telecommunications Products approved by Resolution 715, and national solid waste policies. Its scope of application is clearly defined as: lithium-ion batteries used in stationary applications, under high discharge intensity, and medium-intensity environments, with a nominal voltage of 48VDC or 24VDC, and a designed service life exceeding 10 years under 25°C floating conditions. This decree formally includes such products in the Anatel Conformity Assessment Regulatory List.

2. Core Technical Standards and Testing Framework

The regulations extensively reference Brazilian National Standards (ABNT NBR) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, forming the basis for technical assessment. These primarily include:

ABNT NBR 16975:2021: Electrical Specifications and Test Methods;

ABNT NBR 16976:2021: Safety Requirements and Test Procedures;

IEC series standards: covering electromagnetic compatibility (electrostatic discharge, electrical fast transients, surge immunity), functional safety (IEC 61508), and industrial battery safety requirements (IEC 62619, IEC 62620, etc.).

Certification testing must be performed by a third-party organization. Samples must undergo full testing according to the seven test groups defined in Table 1 (one sample per group), covering three main categories: preliminary assessment, electrical testing, and safety testing. The testing environment temperature must be controlled at 25±3°C. All samples must be from the same batch, and the manufacturing date must be no more than 6 months from the testing date.

3. Battery Family Certification and Communication Protocol Requirements

The regulation introduces the concept of a "battery family," allowing different capacity models with the same electrochemical system, BMS (Battery Management System), and core structural characteristics to undergo family certification. In principle, the highest capacity model in the family must undergo all tests, while other models must complete all safety tests.

Simultaneously, the product must be equipped with a BMS and support communication with the rectifier system via the MODBUS protocol to share key information such as voltage, capacity, SOC (State of Charge), SOH (State of Health), temperature, and alarms in real time.

4. Key Testing Items and Safety Verification

Electrical performance tests include: capacity determination, low-temperature discharge, high-current performance, charge-discharge cycle durability, and internal resistance measurement. Safety verification covers: drop testing, overvoltage/overcurrent/overheat control, electrostatic discharge immunity, voltage surge immunity, and thermal runaway (thermal avalanche) propagation testing to prevent cascading effects caused by a single cell failure.

5. Labeling, Documentation, and Certificate Maintenance

Products must be clearly marked with the ANATEL identification stamp, a standardized serial number, and the disposal symbol required by national solid waste policy. Technical manuals must be in Portuguese and detail technical specifications, installation, operation, maintenance, safety, packaging, transportation, storage information, and user communication channels.

Certificate of conformity requires maintenance every 3 years during its validity period, with a total maintenance cycle of 9 years, divided into three phases: M1, M2, and M3. Each phase requires retesting of different test combinations specified in Table 1 (e.g., retesting groups 1 and 4 after 3 years, and groups 2 and 5 after 6 years, etc.) to ensure continued compliance.

6. Environmental Responsibility and Non-compliance Handling

The regulations emphasize that, in accordance with national solid waste policy, appropriate final disposal must be carried out at the end of the battery's lifespan to avoid harm to health and the environment from its chemical components. If a product fails testing, a maximum of two sample replacements (a total of three testing opportunities) are allowed. Products that still fail will be disqualified, and the manufacturer must reapply for certification.

 In summary 

Decree No. 5314 establishes a comprehensive and stringent technical regulatory framework for stationary lithium-ion batteries in the Brazilian telecommunications sector, integrating requirements for electrical performance, functional safety, communication protocols, environmental responsibility, and full lifecycle maintenance. Mandatory implementation from October 12, 2026, this decree will impose higher standards on the design, manufacturing, testing, and after-sales management of related products, aiming to ensure the safety, reliability, and environmental sustainability of power supply for telecommunications equipment. 

Facing this compliance challenge, BTL, leveraging its extensive experience in the Brazilian Anatael certification field, can assist manufacturers in completing the entire process, including standard interpretation, testing arrangements, and documentation preparation. This helps companies efficiently assess compliance gaps and initiate certification preparation, ensuring products successfully enter the Brazilian market before the deadline.