By Brazil Stock Guide – Sanepar (B3: SAPR11) , the state-controlled utility of Paraná, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Spain’s Acciona Agua Brasil to evaluate joint participation in sanitation tenders. The agreement is non-binding and may not materialize into a formal partnership.
A potential alliance with Acciona would intensify competition in auctions already drawing players such as Aegea, Iguá and Equatorial, the controlling shareholder of Sabesp. For Sanepar, a consortium could help spread financial and operational risks when competing for concessions outside Paraná.
Brazil’s pipeline of new projects is expanding. The development bank BNDES lists concessions and PPPs totaling R$61.6 billion (US$11.8 billion) in planned investments through 2027, covering 1,460 municipalities and nearly 36 million people. Highlights include the privatization of Copasa in Minas Gerais, concessions in Pernambuco, Maranhão and Rio Grande do Norte, and PPPs in Goiás and Paraíba.
If successful, the partnership would strengthen Acciona’s position in Brazilian sanitation. The company entered the sector in 2022 after winning the second lot of Paraná’s PPP program, covering 48 municipalities, with an estimated investment of more than R$5 billion (US$1 billion). That contract set a target of 90% sewage collection and treatment coverage by 2033.
Acciona operates in more than 40 countries and already runs major projects in Brazil, including the construction and future operation of São Paulo’s Metro Line 6-Orange, one of Latin America’s largest urban mobility projects. The company also competed for the Santos–Guarujá tunnel concession in São Paulo state but lost to Mota-Engil, which won the 32-year contract with a bid worth about R$6.8 billion (US$1.3 billion).