In Mexico, Brazilian government entourage seeks investments for highways

Representatives of the Ministry of Transport presented this week a project portfolio in Mexico to try to attract giants from the country’s infrastructure sector to invest in Brazilian highways. The entourage was there between the 9th and 11th.

The executive secretary of the Ministry of Transport, George Santoro, told the Infomoney that Mexican groups showed interest in the projects. 15 auctions are planned by the end of this year. The next are BR-04, which connects Rio de Janeiro to Juiz de Fora, and BR-163 in Mato Grosso do Sul.

For next year, there are another 20 projects, totaling R $ 161 billion in investments and 8,449 kilometers of new concessions. For this, according to the ministry, the capture of international investors is a key piece to expand the competitiveness of auctions

According to Santoro, the trip is to prospect investments for the second half and 2026 wallet. “Bringing new players is important, even because they can also make consortia with Brazilian companies.”

Santoro explained that some Brazilian companies are very leveraged and need to increase the capital structure to participate in the projects or access cheaper money. “Mexican companies have banks behind, I find it interesting to get cheaper financing,” said the executive secretary.

In Mexico, Brazilians performed a roadshow and a round of bilateral meetings with eight companies seeking new markets to expand their performance. “We planted a seed in a market that had never been explored by Brazil, which has very large groups and experience in concessions,” explained Santoro.

Also according to the ministry’s executive secretary, the goal is to hire until the end of the Lula administration more than half of the federal network. “We entered the government with 14 thousand kilometers granted, we are already 16 thousand kilometers and we will put in the market another 8.5 thousand kilometers,” he says.

Santoro also points out that the entire ministry wallet today is carbon zero, has an investment percentage for energy transition and is 100% aligned with the Guidelines of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).