After two days of meetings with investors and executives in the Netherlands, the São Paulo government continued its European roadshow in Oslo, Norway, on Thursday (24). The main agenda was the presentation of the Water Crossings public-private partnership project. Led by governor Tarcísio de Freitas, the delegation also got a closer look at the models of electric ferries used for sea crossings in the Nesoddtangen, Drøbak and Son regions. The vessels are similar to those that could be adopted in São Paulo with the future concession of the waterway transportation system to the private sector.
The project, sanctioned last Wednesday (23), provides for the modernization of 14 passenger and vehicle crossing lines in various regions of the state. With an auction scheduled for the first half of this year, the proposal should receive R$1 billion in investments and includes the acquisition of more than 40 vessels, some of them electric, as well as the modernization of terminal infrastructure.
“Another extremely productive day of this mission in which we showed the international market our competence in structuring projects with a major impact on the population. At every meeting, we see that there is a lot of interest in our projects. This attention shows that we are heading in the right direction, with initiatives that will bring investment, generate opportunities and improve people’s lives,” said Tarcísio de Freitas.
The concession project for the state’s sea and river crossings, which currently serve around 40,000 people a day, was detailed to three Norwegian groups specializing in this mode of transport. The São Paulo group also made a technical visit to the company responsible for planning and coordinating public transport in the Oslo metropolitan area and Viken county.
Also on the agenda was the project for the submerged link between Santos and Guarujá. The future project, 1.5 km long, will have an exclusive lane for vehicles and trams, a cycle path and a pedestrian crossing. The infrastructure is expected to benefit around 1.2 million people a day. The concession auction is scheduled for August 1st and the investment is expected to exceed R$6 billion.
The European itinerary continues until next Saturday (26), with technical visits and meetings with investors in Denmark. One of the highlights will be a visit to the Fehmarnbelt underwater tunnel, which will link Denmark to Germany. The 18-kilometer-long structure is considered an international benchmark and inspired the model proposed for the Santos-Guarujá tunnel.
Photo: Vinicius Rosa/SP State Government