The São Paulo State Environmental Company (Cetesb) issued, on Monday (11), the preliminary environmental license for the Santos–Guarujá immersed tunnel. This authorization confirms the project’s environmental feasibility and allows the advancement of the Public–Private Partnership (PPP), whose auction is scheduled for September 5 at the São Paulo Stock Exchange (B3). As a result, the future winning consortium will compete for the concession with the assurance of having an initial environmental license already approved — a measure that helps reduce risks and delays in the project’s implementation.
Cetesb’s role is part of a joint effort with the Secretariat for Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics (Semil) and the Secretariat for Partnerships and Investments (SPI) to unlock the state government’s portfolio of structuring projects. Issuing the preliminary license before the auction is considered a strategic step to attract investors and provide predictability to the project’s execution schedule.
“Cetesb thoroughly analyzed the project’s socio-environmental impacts and established clear conditions for the works to proceed with responsibility and safety. This is a structuring project for mobility and sustainable development in the Baixada Santista region,” said Cetesb’s CEO, Thomaz Toledo.
The preliminary license sets out the environmental parameters that must be strictly followed by the winning consortium as a requirement for the next stages of licensing: the installation license and the operating license. The technical review assessed factors such as impacts on mangroves, noise, expropriations, protected areas, and effects on local fauna and flora.
The future concessionaire will be responsible for presenting detailed environmental mitigation and compensation plans, as well as communication programs for the local population. Only after meeting these requirements will it be possible to obtain the licenses necessary to begin construction.
With an estimated investment of more than R$ 6 billion, the project calls for the construction of an 870-meter tunnel beneath the port channel, connecting Santos and Guarujá. The structure will have three lanes in each direction — one reserved for the Light Rail Transit (VLT) system — as well as pedestrian and bicycle crossings and a service gallery.
According to the Environmental Impact Study and Environmental Impact Report (EIA/RIMA) presented in July 2024, the tunnel aims to solve a long-standing mobility bottleneck between the two municipalities. Currently, there are two main crossing options: a 43 km route via the Cônego Domênico Rangoni Highway, used by commercial vehicles and averaging 60 minutes of travel time; and the ferry and boat system, used by pedestrians, cyclists, and light vehicles, with crossing times ranging from 18 to 60 minutes depending on port operating conditions.
The new connection is expected to relieve the current crossing system and improve the region’s logistics integration. The project is estimated to generate around 9,000 direct and indirect jobs during its execution.