Santos Port Authority Opens Public Consultation for STS08 Fuel Storage Lease

The Santos Port Authority (APS) has opened a public consultation, effective since last Friday (Oct. 25, 2024), through its website (portodesantos.com.br) and Brazil’s Participa + Brasil platform. The consultation invites the public to submit suggestions on the upcoming bid process for leasing the STS08 public infrastructure area. Covering 152,200 square meters within the organized Port of Santos, the STS08 lease is set to boost liquid bulk storage capacity, mainly for fuel products.

The public notice is expected to be published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, Oct. 30, marking the start of the 30-day period for feedback and suggestions submissions.

On the APS website, interested parties can access the consultation by selecting “Acesso à Informação” at the top of the homepage, then the green “Participação Social” circle, and finally “Audiências e Consultas Públicas,” which provides a link to Participa + Brasil and Public Consultation No. 04/2024 – STS08.

According to Gustavo Pereira, APS’s Business Development and Regulation Director, after the 30-day comment period, APS plans to submit the findings to Brazil’s Federal Audit Court (TCU) and subsequently hold the auction on the São Paulo stock exchange, B3. The auctioned area will be connected to pipelines, highways, and piers at Alemoa, a key liquid bulk area on the right bank of the Port of Santos.

APS President Anderson Pomini emphasized the strategic importance of the expansion to meet growing fuel demand across Brazil’s Southeast, South, and part of the Midwest, as well as Bolivia, Paraguay, and Chile. This initiative also aims to enhance market competitiveness, promoting a more open and diversified market, in line with Law 9,478 (8/6/1997).

Strategic Development

“To boost these critical and strategic services, two additional berths will be constructed in the area by an industry consortium, with two more planned by Petrobras by 2030. This aligns with recommendations from regulatory bodies, ensuring no idle port areas, and combines increased storage, berthing, and access for product distribution,” noted Pomini, also referencing the two viaducts to be built by Ecorodovias, as per a state and APS agreement.

Preliminary studies, verified by the Office of the Comptroller General (CGU), guided the best model for the area’s utilization. Subsequently, APS launched Public Call 01/2023 to gauge interest in leasing STS08 for liquid bulk handling and storage, particularly fuels, attracting six interested parties.

Now, APS is proceeding with the bid process, which, after the public consultation and hearing, will lead to an STS08 lease agreement with the winning bidder. The process has already received approval from the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq), paving the way for the public consultation phase.

This sector expansion within the Port of Santos is essential to Brazil’s economy, underpinning industries, commerce, services, and agribusiness. “Ensuring the supply of fuel and raw materials is crucial for economic activity, and the Port of Santos is fully aware of its logistics role,” concluded Pomini.

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