BNDES has US$ 184 billion for infrastructure
O Estado de S. Paulo - 06/01/2008
The investment portfolio in large infrastructure works and in the BNDES' segments which provide basic inputs amount to R$ 300 billion (US$ 184 billion). The cycle of investments advances expressively, for the first time since the 2nd National Development Plan, in the mid 1970's. Currently, the private initiative opperates more strongly in the projects, and shows increasing concerns with environmental and social impacts resulted from the undertakings. The current portfolio of the bank, with projects that go from the phase of consultation to contracted projects, was made public at a request of the Government and indicates investments of R$ 178 billion (US$ 109.2 billion) in infrastructure, mostly in large works. One of the main operations approved by the bank was to set the Estreito Hydroelectric power plant, in the middle stretch of the Tocantins River, with an investment of R$ 3.607 billion (US$ 2.21 billion). In the South, the Chapecó Hydroelectric power plant, in the Uruguay River, has demanded investments of R$ 2.207 billion (US$ 1.35 billion). Regarding the works related to the social area - mainly transportation, water supply, sewer collection and treatment - include projects of R$ 8.2 billion (US$ 5.03 billion). Some examples are: the already contracted expansion of the São Paulo subway line (R$ 2.1 billion (US$ 1.3 billion); the expansion of the water supply and sewer systems of the Cia. de Saneamento de Minas Gerais (Copasa) (R$ 650 million (US$ 398.8 million); and construction of a bridge over the Negro River, in the Amazon Region, which is an undertaking of little more than half billion Reais. In simplified way, the new flow of investments in infrastructure in the Country increases the demand for products of the basic industry. Together with the growth of the Country - of 5.4% in 2007 and projected at 4.7% for 2008 by the market -, the pressure for basic products pushes the sector to investments of R$ 113 billion (US$ 69.3 billion) in the segments of steel, cement, petrochemical, paper, and cellulose, as listed in the portfolio of the bank.