San Antonio port company still confident on US$4bn terminal expansion despite delays

The long delays in launching the tender for the US$4bn port planned for San Antonio in central Chile will not scare off potential concessionaires, but it is a problem for the country, according to Sally Bendersky, chair of the board of state-owned port company EPSA.

“What matters for investors who are coming [to the tender] is how well it's going to go for them. The delays are more concerning for Chile,” Bendersky told BNamericas after a port efficiency seminar hosted by Chile’s school of engineers.

The project was submitted for environmental review back in 2020, but the deadline for the assessment was extended until the end of next year due to the large number of questions from authorities and the public.  

Bendersky said that EPSA expects environmental approval will be given in 2025, although the company believes that legal challenges will emerge and that approval will not be fully confirmed until 2028.

“We're environmental fanatics, but we're also development fanatics, so we have to negotiate,” the EPSA executive told BNamericas when asked about the possibility of a court ruling against the project, which has been challenged by local residents and environmental organizations over its potential effect on nearby wetlands.

Meanwhile, the tender for dredging works and the construction of breakwater is expected to be launched during 2026, with works starting in 2028.

As regards the concession of the main terminal, a call for expressions of interest is scheduled to be issued in 2025, while the tender would be launched in 2029 and the contract would be awarded in 2031. If so, construction would start in 2033 and be concluded by 2036.

The project involves buildingtwo berthing sites, 1,730m each, four terminals (one on the land side and another on the sea side) and a 4km breakwater. Once completed, the port is expected to be able to handle 6mn TEUs annually.

Bendersky said that it was key for Chile’s central regions to expand port capacity, as the area accounts for 65% of the country’s GDP and 63% of its population.