The quality of electricity is one of the most discussed issues in the regulatory context, structured by guidelines that allow the assessment of efficiency in electricity supply. Regarding electricity distribution systems, it is essential to highlight the aspects associated with the definition of continuity indicators to measure the service provided by the utilities. The parameters used to calculate the indicators are set by specific agencies in each country based on studies and their characteristics. With the growth in demand for electricity, debates associated with reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, and the increase in Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) connected to the grid, a new trend related to the energy supply is verified. Given these new scenarios, this paper presents a literature review in the regulatory field of existing distribution systems in South American countries. The research proposes to analyze, compare, and expose the current models to evaluate their methods and indicators, including a complete case study in Brazil. This paper seeks to illustrate and point out perspectives, challenges, and future perspectives through the collected and analyzed data.

In this paper, results related to the statistical sensitivity analysis of physical-electrical attributes in reliability index calculation of distribution systems will be presented. Considering that electricity companies are inserted in a natural monopoly, the National Agency of Electrical Energy (ANEEL) current methodology proposes a comparative assessment strategy of different sets of consumer units, to classify their performance in relation to the power quality service. From a Stepwise regression model, the statistical sensitivity of different arrays of physical-electrical attributes is assessed. The results obtained for a real case studies demonstrate the impact of regional characteristics on the performance of distribution systems.Resumo: Neste trabalho serão apresentados resultados relativos à análise de sensibilidade estatística dos atributos físico-elétricos no cálculo dos indicadores de continuidade de sistemas de distribuição. Considerando que as distribuidoras de energia elétrica estão inseridas em um monopólio natural, a metodologia vigente da Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL) propõe uma estratégia de avaliação comparativa de diferentes conjuntos de unidades consumidoras, de forma a classificar o seu desempenho em relação à qualidade do serviço. A partir de um modelo de regressão por Stepwise, é avaliada a sensibilidade estatística de diferentes arranjos de atributos físico-elétricos. Os resultados obtidos para os estudos de casos reais demonstram o impacto de características regionais no desempenho de sistemas de distribuição.