EVOLUTION OF DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS IN THE ELECTRICITY SECTOR: INTEGRATION WITH COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNIQUES

The electricity distribution sector operates under high regulatory complexity, requiring methods capable of evaluating efficiency in contexts marked by operational heterogeneity and growing volume of data. In this scenario, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has established itself as the main regulatory benchmarking tool, although it has structural limitations, such as sensitivity to variable selection and retrospective nature. This article analyzes the methodological evolution of DEA in the electricity sector, focusing on its integration with Computational Intelligence techniques. For this, a literature review was carried out in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, with thematic analysis of the selected studies. The results indicate the transition from traditional models to hybrid approaches, structured in three dimensions: informational, structural, and temporal. It is concluded that this evolution expands the robustness and adaptability of the efficiency assessment, contributing to a more transparent regulation in line with the complexity of the electricity sector.