Portugal's Mota-Engil and China's CCCC, part of the winning consortium for the Santos-Guarujá tunnel, are staying silent amid a dispute between the federal and São Paulo state governments over project ownership. The companies await an agreement between the Lula and Tarcísio de Freitas administrations before construction begins in 2027. On Monday, representatives from both governments attended a signing ceremony for a R$ 2.57 billion loan from Banco do Brasil.
The consortium led by Mota-Engil won the auction on September 5, 2025, offering a 0.5% discount on the public contribution. CCCC, holding 32.4% of the Portuguese company's shares, is considered the main financier of the R$ 6.8 billion project, the largest in the federal government's new PAC program.
People involved in the project say the companies avoid engaging in the political dispute and pretend ignorance to calls for involvement. They view the current stalemate with apprehension, as it risks delaying construction.
On April 13, the federal government invited São Paulo state officials to the loan signing ceremony, represented by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Finance Minister Dario Durigan. The state, invited late Friday, sent Finance Secretary Samuel Kinoshita. Tarcísio's team complained about the last-minute notice.
Despite official statements, the administrations contest ownership: R$ 5.2 billion would be split between them. The TCU blocked the federal share at APS's request, which claimed it was not consulted despite providing funding. São Paulo countered with a decree authorizing an additional R$ 2.6 billion in financing.
