Delivering Major Projects in Brazil

In the last 10 years infrastructure investment in Brazil has tripled, reaching $100 billion in 2012. The demands of the economic expansion, the income growth of Brazilians and the social inclusion process have forced the country to accelerate its infrastructure development particularly in the area of logistics and energy. The Government’s Accelerated Growth Program (Programa de Aceleração de Crescimento, PAC) allocated an estimated $800bn to Brazil’s public infrastructure sector between 2008 and 2013. PAC2 continued this rate of investment in major projects. In 2012, in response to these pressing demands, President Dilma Rousseff launched the Logistics Investment Program designed to work with the private sector in order to renew and integrate the transportation network.

Between March and September 2013 the Government will make concession auctions for 7,500 km of highways, 10,000 km of railways as well as extra airport and port capacity. 2013 also sees further bidding rounds for oil and gas, as well as hydropower and wind-power projects and the installation of 23,200 km of electricity transmission lines. The EPL – Brazilian Planning and Logistics Company – which has been set up to deliver these projects – has the largest portfolio of infrastructure projects in the world.

Additionally this year, the Government has (re)scheduled the concession auction for the country’s first high speed railway to connect Rio de Janeiro, Saão Paulo and Campinas – 511 km in length. The country is also in the spotlight as it delivers the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.

These are all good news, but the intended infrastructure boost is coming at a time in which the Brazilian economy is slowing down and the supply chain for major projects is stretched to its limits. This will affect projects and pose corporate, finance and legal challenges to employers and contractors involved in delivering projects in Brazil in the coming years.

This full day seminar will offer an insight into this huge undertakings and how the public and private sectors are planning to deliver these projects and deal with related risks. HM Consul General for Rio de Janeiro, Paula Walsh, will Chair the day bringing her own experience of how Rio is gearing up for the 2016 Games. Experts will set the scene and give the funder’s perspective; and British and Brazilian nationals will share their own experiences of working on transport, energy and other major projects.

This seminar is aimed at those hoping to help deliver these projects as well as those hoping to learn from project professionals around the world about how they do things differently. Delegates attending this event will leave with:

A clear overview of the pipeline of major projects in Brazil
An understanding of how major projects are delivered differently compared to the UK
A “warts and all” view of the challenges of delivering major projects in Brazil