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How Spain’s big construction are faring in LatAm

Bnamericas
How Spain’s big construction are faring in LatAm

Spain’s biggest construction groups – OHLA, Sacyr, Acciona, FCC, Ferrovial and ACS – closed 2022 with a combined portfolio of 208bn euros (US$221bn).

Some of the projects in the backlog include key initiatives in Chile and Colombia.

SACYR

Sacyr posted 2022 revenue of 5.9bn euros, 25.2% higher than the previous year, while profits were 110.5bn euros after a 189bn-euro loss in 2021. This was mainly because the firm’s results in 2021 were negatively affected by its now finished participation in Repsol.

Of the year’s revenue, 47% came from Latin America, only behind Europe as the group’s largest regional market. 

The group’s backlog grew 19% to 54.8bn euros.

Some of the main LatAm contracts awarded last year to Sacyr were:  

Route 78 highway-second concession (US$932mn, Chile, under construction and operation)
Biobío railway bridge replacement (Chile, US$267mn, under construction)
Buenaventura-Loboguerrero-Buga highway (US$920mn, Colombia, in pre-construction)
Dique canal (US$650mn, Colombia, awaiting contract signing)

ACCIONA

The group’s infrastructure backlog closed 2022 at a record 22.0bn euros, with Latin America representing 27%. Overall, Acciona’s revenue increased 38.1% to 11.2bn euros and net profit rose 32.7% to 441mn euros.

The results were driven by Acciona’s divestment of assets in Spain that was completed last year.

Some of the group’s main contracts awarded last year in Latin America include:

La Serena hospital (US$270m, Chile, in pre-construction)
Collahuasi desalination plant (US$258mn, Chile, yet to begin construction)

OHLA

Although the firm’s portfolio increased 21.1% during 2022, reaching 7.03bn euros, OHLA posted a net loss of 96.8mn euros due to the impact of the exchange rate and bond repurchases.

Latin America represented 20.6% of the construction backlog. Some of the contracts that were added last year were:

Bogotá northern access network stage 2 (US$271mn, Colombia, under construction)
Santiago metro line N°7, section 4 (US$95mn, Chile, under construction)
Spence mine tailings deposit (US$138mn, Chile, under construction)

ACS

ACS had the largest portfolio of the main Spanish construction firms with nearly 69bn euros, 8.3% higher than end-2021. Revenue increased 20.8% to 33.6bn euros, and net profits were up 66% to 668mn euros due to the sale of its industrial services unit in late 2021. 

While the company did not provide specific numbers for Latin America, ACS said the Americas represented 54% of its backlog, mainly through operations in the United States.

As for contracts awarded in 2022 in LatAm, these include:

Two sections of Santiago metro line N°7 (US$162mn, Chile, under construction)
 Santiago metro line N°7 train yards (US$80mn, Chile, yet to start construction)

FCC

FCC’s portfolio increased 33.4% in 2022 to 40.3bn euros, though its earnings fell 45% to 315mn euros due to higher energy costs.

While it did not provide details of its Latin America project backlog, the firm stated that the region, alongside the US, accounted for 9.9% of its 2022 revenue of 7.7bn euros.

FCC did not list any major contracts awarded in Latin America last year, though it said its contract for the second section of the Maya train in Mexico added 250mn euros.

The firm’s presence in the region also includes: 

Line 2 of Lima metro (Peru, US$4.5bn, under construction)
El Salitre wastewater treatment plant (Colombia, US$354mn, under construction)

FERROVIAL

Alongside a controversial announcement to move its headquarters to the Netherlands due to lower tax rates, Ferrovial reported a 14.7bn-euro portfolio for 2022, a record for the company and 18.7% higher than 2021. 

However, its net profit plummeted 84% to 186mn euros due to lower extraordinary income. 

Ferrovial did not report the geographical make up of its portfolio, nor did it list any major contract awards for Latin America in its 2022 report. However, its presence includes the following projects: 

Ruta del Cacao highway (Colombia, US$724mn, under construction)
Santiago metro line No. 3 extension (Chile, US$378mn, under construction, only complementary works)
New control tower for Lima airport (Peru, US$60mn, under construction, in partnership with Acciona)

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