Page 50 - ABCR ANNUAL REPORT 2016

PROSPECTSTIME TO RESTARTThe concessions sector is preparing for a period of moderate recuperation, which already appears on the radar as a prospect for the second half of 2017. There is a concrete effort on the part of the government to create a favourable environment for the delivery of new investors into the country.From the sectoral point of view, the estimated increase in toll revenues, in addition to the possibility of new alternatives for the unlocking of the liberation of credit, for the highway concessions (especially those of the third stage) by BNDES, should form a conducive environment to make feasible the expected recovery.The highway sector has a great participation in the growth of Brazil, boosting trade, industry, agriculture and the development of the municipalities which surround the highways. In 2017, the government intends to grant to the private sector the administration of 34 projects of; airports, highways, railroads, ports and petroleum exploration blocks. All are part of the PPI and are already on the bidding agenda of the year. In the highway sector, there are two notices of concessions that are expected to be launched in the rst semester: sections of BRs-364/365, between Goiás and Minas Gerais; And BRs-101/116/290/386, in Rio Grande do Sul - the auctions should occur in the second half of the year. It is essential that the federal government maintains the schedule of PPI, submitted in September 2016, to ensure transparency and legal certainty in the processes of concessions.In São Paulo, the state with the largest number of concessions, 2017 already brings innovations in line with the best practices adopted globally and unprecedented in Brazil: Variable toll values according to the times of movements on the highway, to free Wi-Fi systems on concession highways, for example. Two auctions have already been carried out: In March, Pátria acquired the lot Centro-Oeste, with 574 km between Florínea and Igarapava, which will be under management of the company for the next 30 years, with investments of around R$3.9 billion in the period. The second auction was the Rodovia dos Calçados, won by Grupo Arteris, with investments of R$5 billion also expected in the next 30 years. With 720 km of extensions, the lot encompasses, stretches of ten highways and crosses 35 municipalities in the interior of São Paulo.ABCR will remain attentive to the scenario of the sector and to measures that may jeopardize the return on investments, whether through exemptions, adjustments of the value of tolls outside what was previously agreed upon. As well as the creation of unnecessary and costly regulations that compromise the equilibrium of concession contracts. The entity will maintain its participation in the public realm, focusing on the ef ciency of the sector, favouring the free initiative of concessionaires, which contribute to the generation of employment and income in the country, with the main objectives of serving highway users and contributing to the development of Brazil.50