At the beginning of May, the construction of a multi-cargo megaport in Espírito Santo was announced. Work on the São Mateus Port Complex is expected to start in the first quarter of 2019, with operations scheduled to start in the second half of 2021. The port will have 1,8 meters of front wharf, operational draft of 16 meters and will to receive containers, rolling cargo, ornamental rocks, offshore cargo and for ship repair.
Although a megaport project always arouses curiosity, what draws attention is the moment it is announced. With the country trying to get out of a financial crisis and still involved in an institutional crisis, infrastructure projects, especially those greenfield, are scarce. Thus, the expectation remains to know if this is the beginning of a resumption in investments in infrastructure or if it is just a breath of hope.
Although the BNDES and the big banks are waiting to expand the offer of credit, in the context of transport infrastructure, investments are still moving at a slow pace. The announcement of new railways has been stalled since the PAC and should not be unlocked before 2019, with the possible concessions of the southern section of the North-South Railway, Ferrogrão and the West-East Integration Railway (FIOL). The current concessionaires have been negotiating with the government the possibility of new investments in exchange for the renewal of their concessions, but they have mainly run into the demands raised by the Federal Audit Court (TCU).
In ports, the scenario is no different. The Decree for the Modernization of the Regulatory Framework for Ports published in 2017 brought the expectation of increased investments in the sector, but legal uncertainties are blocking the process. Until recently, more than 110 requests for renewal of port area contracts were stalled at the Ministry of Transport, Ports and Civil Aviation awaiting TCU's position. As in the case of railways, uncertainties should continue at least until the end of this year, conditioning investments in the sector to a few concessioned terminals, mainly in the north of the country, and to a few other private investments, such as the one in the São Mateus Complex. and grain terminals in the North region.
At the gates of the second half of a year with general elections, this scenario is unlikely to undergo major changes until December. The expectation is then for 2019. What will happen? With the economy getting back on track, the trend is for cargo movements across Brazil to continue to grow. Is the Brazilian infrastructure prepared for this new cycle?
References:
Projects enter the radar of banks – Valor Setorial Logística – March, 2018
Rumo campaigns to renew Malha Paulista concession – http://www.valor.com.br/empresas/5165542/rumo-faz-campanha-para-renovar-concessao-de-malha-paulista
Odebrecht will build a megaport in ES, the biggest since Lava Jato
Alexandre Lobo
https://ilos.com.brGraduated in Civil Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and in Social Communication from Faculdades Integradas Hélio Alonso (FACHA). Expertise in several projects with emphasis on market analysis for companies such as Unilever, Intertank, Invepar, Aqces, Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank.
