Brazil officials presenting highway concessions pipeline to European investors

Officials of Brazil’s transport ministry are in Europe this week to present the pipeline of highway concessions and drum up investor interest.

On the agenda are meetings with representatives of private companies, investment funds and infrastructure operators. The officials were also set to attend the Ibero-América GRI Infra & Energy event on October 22 in Madrid.

"The event brings together the biggest leaders in the transport and energy segment, with the aim of discussing common challenges in structuring, developing and financing projects that can catalyze development and boost the Brazilian economy," the transport ministry said in a statement.

Officials are also expected to meet executives of Acciona and Banco Santander in Madrid.

The delegation will then travel to London and meet international fund administrators and company representatives interested in learning about Brazilian highway concessions. 

Meetings with representatives of companies like British group John Laing, a major public sector infrastructure operator, are also planned. 

The Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva administration has auctioned 11 highway concessions since it took office in January 2023, generating investments of 74.2bn reais (US$13bn).

"Brazil still has a very large portfolio of new highway concession contracts to be offered in the coming months and I see growing participation from new investors in these contracts, including international participants," Alberto Sogayar, an infrastructure lawyer at Sogayar e Alcântara Advogados, told BNamericas. 

So far this year, Brazil has offered four highway contracts and plans auctions for three more.

Transport minister Renan Filho told BNamericas recently that the government will hold at least 10 highway concession auctions next year.

"These upcoming auctions are expected to generate strong competition, as road sector contracts in Brazil are very well-prepared from a legal point of view. The challenge is for the government to strengthen the structure of sector regulator ANTT because with so many new contracts being absorbed, the regulator will have more work in the future," Sogayar said.