Auction for Paraná state highways seen taking place next year

The auction for 30-year highway concessions in Paraná state is likely to be held in the second quarter of 2022, according to Brazil’s land transportation regulator ANTT.

The information was given when ANTT filed the documents with the country's audit court (TCU) to obtain final approval for the concessions, which are expected to require a combined capex of 44bn reais (US$8.12bn).

The auction will be held on Brazilian stock exchange B3 and the tender notice is likely to be issued in the first quarter, ANTT said in a press release.

The planned auction is for six lots of highways with an extension of 3,350 km and an estimated opex of 32bn reais.

The winning proposals for the lots will be those that offer the lowest toll rates for users. The main works include the widening of a combined 1,756km and the construction of more than 600 new lanes.

Local infrastructure firm CCR, which recently won the auction for the Dutra highway (BR-116) connecting Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, has said that it is interested in the auction of the Paraná highways.

The concessions are seen as key to reduce logistics costs, as highways represent 86% of Paraná's transportation matrix. 

The stretches that will be auctioned connect the port of Paranaguá, Brazil’s largest agricultural export port, and state capital Curitiba’s metropolitan region, comprising 29 municipalities.

The highways to be offered are:

– Lot 1: BR-277/373/376/476 and PR-418/423/427

– Lot 2: BR-153/277/369 and PR-092/151/239/407/408/411/508/804/855

– Lot 3: BR-369/373/376 and PR-090/170/323/445 

– Lot 4: BR-272/369/376 and PR-182/272/317/323/444/862/897/986

– Lot 5: BR-158/163/369/467 and PR-317

– Lot 6: BR-163/277 and PR-158/180/182/280/483