Paraná Ports to Hold Two Auctions on April 30

The auction notice for area PAR14 of the Port of Paranaguá was published this Tuesday (11) in the Official Gazette of the Union. Auctions for PAR14 and PAR15 will occur on the same day: April 30. These areas, part of the solid bulk handling infrastructure, will be auctioned by the state-owned company Portos do Paraná at the Brazilian Stock Exchange (B3) in São Paulo. The two lease agreements are expected to bring over R$ 1.5 billion in investments to Paraná.

“We are now in the final stretch of regularizing the areas of the Port of Paranaguá. More importantly, these lease agreements will provide Portos do Paraná with full operational capacity, with significant investments to be completed in the coming years, as outlined in each contract,” said Luiz Fernando Garcia, CEO of Portos do Paraná.

Modernizing these areas is expected to increase cargo handling from 170,000 to 323,000 tons of vegetable solid bulk in PAR14 and 115,000 to 191,000 tons in PAR15.

The bidding process for PAR15 has already been approved and published. At the same time, PAR14 required approval from the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), which was granted unanimously in a plenary session held in Brasília on February 5.

Infrastructure Details

PAR14 covers an area of 82,436 m² and comes with a 35-year lease. The bidder will win the auction and will offer the highest concession fee. The contract is expected to generate at least R$ 980 million in investments and financial contributions. The winning company will have seven years to implement improvements, including participation in constructing the new “T-Pier,” which will feature a dust suppression system, a transfer tower, a bucket elevator, and a flow scale. Some actions must be completed sooner, such as integrating with Moegão. The leaseholder must provide two conveyor lines with a nominal capacity of 2,000 tons per hour once Moegão is completed.

Similarly, the winner of the PAR15 auction will be required to integrate with Moegão as soon as the railway infrastructure is completed, expected by the end of 2025. The total investments outlined in the contract must be completed within five years.

PAR15 spans 43,279 m² and has a 35-year lease term. It is expected to attract R$601 million in investments and financial contributions. The leaseholder must improve the truck reception system to handle at least 2.2 million tons annually, including installing four new scales and two new tippers within the first five years. Additionally, they must participate in developing the new “T-Pier” berths and operational structures.

Among the planned investments is constructing the “T-Pier” at the Eastern Export Corridor, which handles grain and soybean meal shipments.

Auction Overview

From 2019 to 2023, Portos do Paraná auctioned five areas: PAR01, PAR09, PAR12, PAR32, and PAR50. After the PAR14 and PAR15 auctions, only the PAR25 process remains pending approval from the TCU. The PAR25 auction will mark a new era for Paraná’s ports, ensuring full concession regularization and infrastructure investments.

The eight lease agreements will total more than R$3.8 billion in investments over the coming years. Garcia emphasized that the areas being regularized have remained unchanged since their establishment in the 1980s and 1990s.

He also highlighted that these lease agreements provide legal security for Portos do Paraná and investors, fostering job creation in the state’s coastal region.

Additionally, the modernization process incorporates workplace safety regulations and environmental standards. “Beyond increasing operational capacity, we are adapting these areas with worker safety and environmental compliance in mind,” Garcia noted.

Access Channel Concession

Another ongoing process is the concession of the Aquatic Access Channel to the Port of Paranaguá, which has already been submitted to the TCU for review. Once approved, Paraná will become the first Brazilian state to implement this model.

The concession will cover the expansion, maintenance, and operation of the Aquatic Access Channel for 25 years, with a possible extension of up to 70 years. Key improvements in the project include deepening, widening, and expanding the channel, enlarging the turning basin, and deepening the anchorage area where ships wait for berthing.

As a result, the average depth will reach 15.5 meters after the concession, allowing larger ships to dock. The future concessionaire will be responsible for all necessary investments to achieve this goal, including dredging, rock removal, nautical signaling, bathymetry, environmental programs, and monitoring. The estimated investment is R$ 1.07 billion.

Moegão Project

Moegão is the first infrastructure project fully financed by Portos do Paraná, with an investment of approximately R$ 600 million, including railway and road adjustments. The project aims to boost port productivity, reduce urban railway crossings from 16 to five, and improve integration between port operators and the quay.

Moegão will be capable of receiving 180 railcars loaded with vegetable solid bulk (soybeans, corn, and soybean or corn meal). The complex will feature three independent railway lines for train access, with three railcars being unloaded simultaneously on each track.

Source: Informativo dos Portos

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