Brazil is preparing for a major shift in its road infrastructure sector this year, with no fewer than 15 public tenders to be launched over the coming months to grant private operators the management of 8,449 kilometres of federal motorways. This programme, the largest annual motorway concession plan in the country’s history, will involve 15 of Brazil’s 26 states and is expected to attract over 161 billion reais (approximately 26 billion euros) in private investment, according to government estimates.
Notably, 12 of the 15 concessions concern motorway stretches that have never before been managed by private entities, opening up new frontiers for the development and modernisation of the road network.
Under the government’s plan, the contracts will also be more balanced with regard to economic operators. The aim is to create “a model that is more affordable for citizens, safer for the private sector, and with greater financing capacity”, thanks in part to the introduction of “new risk mitigation mechanisms” designed to broaden the base of private investors, as well as an institutional and regulatory framework capable of transforming Brazil’s transport infrastructure in a “robust, sustainable and efficient” manner.
The broader four-year plan foresees opportunities amounting to a total of 343 billion reais (around 55 billion euros) across 44 new motorway concession projects.
