Santos-Guarujá immersed tunnel concession officially begins

The São Paulo state government, through its Investment Partnerships Secretariat, has formally signed the Initial Transfer Term for the Santos-Guarujá immersed tunnel with TSG Concessionária.

The document was signed on Tuesday (7) and took effect the following day.

With the transfer, the company becomes responsible for the activities and areas covered under the contract for construction, operation, maintenance and the investments required for the project. The step marks the official start of the concession.

TSG Concessionária is a special-purpose company created specifically to manage the project by Portuguese group Mota-Engil, which won the auction held in September last year. The structure is required under the international sponsored concession model through a public-private partnership, or PPP. São Paulo state transport agency Artesp will monitor and oversee compliance with the contractual obligations.

TSG Concessionária confirmed the signing of the Initial Transfer Term and said it will now begin the mobilization phase set out in the contract, moving ahead with the implementation schedule for the Santos-Guarujá tunnel.

Asked about the construction site and the hiring of workers, the concessionaire said only that those decisions will be handled by the construction company responsible for carrying out the works and are part of the next stages of the concession.

Schedule

According to the Investment Partnerships Secretariat, 2026 will be dedicated to the preparation of the functional and executive designs, complementary studies, negotiations related to the required areas and environmental licensing.

In 2027, the plan is to set up the construction sites, build the dry dock where the concrete modules will be manufactured, and carry out preliminary dredging.

The prefabricated tunnel elements are expected to be produced in 2028, followed by immersion and assembly of the structures in 2029.

Finishing works, system installation and operational tests are scheduled for 2030. Operations at the immersed tunnel are expected to begin in 2031.

Contract and funding

The contract between the state government and the Portuguese group was signed on January 28. The secretariat said the Initial Transfer Term, formalized almost six months later, followed the expected schedule for this type of concession.

The contract signing was challenged by the Santos Port Authority, or APS, which appealed to Brazil’s Federal Court of Accounts, known as TCU. In March, TCU suspended the release of federal funds. The funds were released in May, when contributions from the federal and state governments were formalized.

The Santos-Guarujá immersed tunnel is expected to cost R$6.8 billion. Of that total, R$5.2 billion will come from public funds, split equally between the São Paulo state government and the federal government, with R$2.64 billion from each. The remaining amount will be invested by private concessionaire Mota-Engil.

Source: A Tribuna

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