Brazil adds 7 more infra projects to PPP, concessions portfolio

The board of Brazil's investment partnerships program (CPPI) approved the inclusion of seven new infrastructure projects in its priority list of initiatives, four of them new concessions and three the reoffer of existing contracts. 

"With the approval of the new assets, the PPI [investment partnerships program] now has 242 projects in its portfolio, representing more than 303bn reais [US$63.5bn] in projected investments," the transport ministry said in a statement.

"In 2023, around 79 auctions are expected to be held in various areas," it added. 

The CPPI approved the concession of two highways: BR-040/495, connecting Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro states, and the BR-381 road in Minas Gerais state.

The BR-040/495 concession contract is expected to outline 15.9bn reais in investments during the 30-year contract. The road runs for 451km and the notice for the bidding process is likely to be published in July, with the auction scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year. 

Meanwhile, the BR-381/MG concession involves expected investments of 8.8bn reais on 304km of roadway. The tender notice is expected to be published during the fourth quarter of 2023.

The CPPI also included the concessions of lots 1 and 2 of the Paraná state highways. The tenders are scheduled for August 25 and September 28 respectively. Together, the two concession contracts to be offered will likely entail total investments of 30.4bn reais during the 30-year terms.

CONTRACTS REOFFERED 

The board also authorized the inclusion of three contracts that have been offered previously.

Companies may return concession contracts to the government, but the process involves analyzing whether either party must pay compensation to the other.

The reoffers authorized are the concession for the BR-101 highway between Espírito Santo and Bahia states. it is considered to be the main road link between the southeast and northeast regions of the country.

It also approved new bidding processes for the Malha Oeste railroad between Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo states and the 847km BR-163/MS highway in Mato Grosso do Sul state.