Petrobras, Compagas and Ferroeste refineries are companies expected to be privatized in 2022
The infrastructure sector in Paraná should undergo privatizations in 2022 – the expectation is that the sales of Petrobras refineries and the companies Compagas and Ferroeste will be carried out. The first scheduled auction is for Nova Ferroeste, which should take place in the second quarter of this year. The winner will build the railroad and will be able to explore the stretch for 70 years.
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Iron West
The railway will connect Maracaju (MS) to Paranaguá (PR), with 1.304 kilometers of tracks. The only stretch that already exists is the one that links Cascavel to Guarapuava, with a total of 248 kilometers. All others will need to be built. The project, which has already been presented to national and international investors, has a total of approximately R$ 29,4 billion to be invested in construction.
In the first year after completion, Nova Ferroeste should transport 38 million tons of products. At the end of 60 years, that number would almost triple, reducing by 30% the cost of transport, which currently prevails in road transport.
The National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) already authorized, in December, the four planned railway branches (Cascavel – Foz do Iguaçu, Cascavel – Chapecó, Dourados – Maracaju and Guarapuava Paranaguá).
The next step is to wait for the approval of the Environmental Impact Study by Ibama, which is expected to happen in the next few days. Once this is done, there will be public hearings and the issuance of the prior license, which should be issued in April, to start the works. “This adds legal certainty to the enterprise, which is important to attract investors”, declared the coordinator of the State Railway Plan, Luiz Henrique Fagundes.
Privatization of Petrobras refineries
The Shale Industrialization Unit (SIX), in São Mateus do Sul, and the Presidente Getúlio Vargas Refinery (Repar), in Araucária, both in Paraná, are also in the process of being privatized. With a sale value totaling R$ 178,8 million, SIX already had the contract closed in November with the company Forbes & Manhattan Resources Inc. (F&M Resources), a wholly owned subsidiary of Forbes & Manhattan Inc. (F&M).
After concluding the privatization operation, Petrobras will continue acting as a service provider during a transitional period, which, according to the company, will be defined according to the need and has no expiration date.
Repar's privatization is expected to take place in the second half of 2022. Negotiations began in 2020, but the proposals presented left something to be desired in terms of the company's economic and financial assessment and the contract was not signed. Petrobras is resuming the process, however it does not inform the data because it is confidential information.
Shares sold by Compagas
For the second half of this year, the sale of Copel shares in Compagas is also planned. Copel has 51% of the shares, while the other shareholders are the Japanese group Mitsui and Gaspetro, each with 24,5%. Before the deal is closed, the contract clauses must be revised and the productive sector waits for a fairer contract, with a decrease in the price of the input.
Paper and cellulose and ceramic industries are the main consumers of natural gas in Paraná, where the product is one of the most expensive in Brazil, mainly due to the high rate of distribution.
While Santa Catarina charges R$ 0,40 per cubic meter of gas transported and the national average is R$ 0,50, in Paraná it is charged R$ 0,81. “The new contract will run for another 30 years. That's why it's very important that the rules are very well defined now”, highlights João Arthur Mohr, manager of Strategic Affairs at Fiep.
