Brazil adds US$8bn in new highway projects to concessions on offer in December

The list of upcoming auctions in the Brazilian highway sector will have three new projects added to the list to be offered in December, involving an additional 44.6 billion reais (US$8bn).

Land transport regulator ANTT approved the tender notices and set the date for the concessions for lots 3 and 6 of Paraná state highways, which are expected to generate 35.1bn reais in investments.

The auction for the lot 3 concession is scheduled for December 12, while that for lot 6 will be held on December 19, ANTT said in a statement.

"Lot 3 covers 569.7km of highways, connecting important sections such as Mauá da Serra to Londrina and Sertanópolis and also connecting Paraná to Santa Catarina and São Paulo states. The project foresees investments of almost 16bn reais. Planned improvements include widening 132.6km of highways, building 24.6km of additional lanes and 61.7km of access roads, among other works," ANTT said.

Lot 6 involves widening 462km of roads, in addition to building 31.4km of additional lanes and 87.1km of access roads.

"The concession covers strategic sections that connect Paraná to other countries, such as the connection with the Amizade and Fraternidade bridges in Foz do Iguaçu, which connect Brazil to Paraguay and Argentina, respectively," added ANTT, underlining that this contract involves estimated investments of 20bn reais.

The main criteria to win the auctions will be who offers the biggest discount on the tolls set out in the tender notices.

The 30-year contracts are part of a total of six highway lots in Paraná state, of which two were offered last year, entailing investments of nearly 30bn reais.

Infraestrutura Brasil Holding XXI, a consortium led by Pátria Investimentos and including the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, won the tender for lot 1, and Consórcio Infraestrutura PR, formed by Brazilian firms EPR and Perfin, won lot 2.

MATO GROSSO DO SUL HIGHWAY

Meanwhile, Mato Grosso do Sul state is planning to offer a concession in December comprising the BR-262, BR-267, MS-040, MS-338 and MS-395 highways in a single package, the state government said in a release.

The concession package comprises a total of 870km of roads and estimated investments of 8.8bn reais during the 30-year contract.

The main works in this package include widening 115km and constructing 251km of third lanes and 12km of access roads.

However, the state government did not unveil the specific date for the auction.

The stretch to be offered is known as the pulp route because of the region's prolific pulp industry, which is benefiting from favorable local conditions for eucalyptus plantations.

OTHER CONTRACTS

The new highway contracts announced add to a robust portfolio of projects planned for this year.

Considering the new tenders confirmed with those already scheduled before year-end, contracts involving around 88bn reais will be offered by federal and state governments.

"The highway sector attracts a lot of interest from private sector investors because the contractual models are already well-developed, and there is also a perception among market players that road transport will continue to be Brazil’s primary logistical mode for many years to come," Mário Sérgio Lima, an analyst at Medley Global Advisors, told BNamericas.

"With the upward revisions regarding Brazil's economic activity, these upcoming auctions will probably attract a lot of interest," Lima added.

The list of auctions of highway contracts confirmed for this year is now the following, not including lots 3 and 6 in Paraná:

September 26 – The federal government will hold a bidding process for the 30-year concession of the 595km Rota dos Cristais section of the BR-040/GO/MG highway between Belo Horizonte and Cristalina in Goiás state, involving investments of 12bn reais.

October 30 – São Paulo state will offer the 30-year, 8.7bn-real Rota Sorocabana highway concession, covering a 460km route connecting 17 cities.

October 31 – The federal government will reoffer the 8.5bn-real concession for the BR-262 highway in Minas Gerais state. The main works under the 30-year concession include building 44.3km of divided highway, 169km of additional lanes and 3.63km of access roads, along with 10 viaducts and 17 footbridges.

November 28 – São Paulo has scheduled the auction for the 30-year Nova Raposo highway concession, requiring investments of 7.3bn reais.

December 12 – The federal government will offer the contract for the so-called Rota Verde (Green Route), which covers stretches of BR-060 and BR-452 totaling 426km. The estimated investments during the 30-year concession contract are 6.86bn reais.