Brazil’s electricity regulator auctioned eight transmission projects in São Paulo on 30 October, completing the country’s final transmission auction of 2026. The package is expected to involve R$8.9 billion in planned investment across seven states, with construction and related work still to follow the awards.
The projects cover Bahia, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraíba, Paraná, Rondônia and São Paulo. Together, they include 1,866 kilometres of new transmission lines and related works, the continuation of 483 kilometres of existing lines, and 12,694 MVA of transformation capacity.
All eight lots were awarded. The concessions will run for 30 years, while the periods allowed for completing the projects range from 42 to 60 months after the concession contracts are signed. Those delivery periods are therefore linked to contract signing, rather than simply running from the day of the auction.
A geographically spread package
The seven-state scope makes this a dispersed programme of transmission work rather than a single development in one location. São Paulo hosted the auction and is also among the states covered by the projects. The other six states form part of the same eight-lot package, whose overall scale combines new lines, existing lines and transformation capacity.
The line figures describe two distinct elements. The 1,866-kilometre total covers new transmission lines and related works, while the separate 483-kilometre figure concerns the continuation of existing lines. Treating both as newly built infrastructure would overstate the amount of new line construction included in the awards.
Transformation capacity is listed separately at 12,694 MVA. It is a different measure from the kilometres of lines: the package sets out both the extent of the transmission routes and the capacity associated with transformation equipment. Neither figure means that the infrastructure has already been completed or brought into operation.
Investment and employment remain forecasts
The R$8.9 billion figure is planned investment associated with the auctioned package, not money already spent on completed works. The awards establish the outcome of the auction, but the projected investment remains tied to projects whose delivery lies ahead.
The package is also expected to involve more than 20,300 direct and indirect jobs. That is an employment projection covering both categories, rather than a count of people already hired. The figure should not be read as more than 20,300 direct construction posts, because it includes indirect employment as well.
The distinction between the auction result and the expected economic activity is important. Eight projects have been awarded, but the investment, employment and completion figures describe what is anticipated during the work that follows. They are not completed results of the auction itself.
Delivery over several years
The completion periods of 42 to 60 months place delivery on a timetable extending several years beyond the signing of the concession contracts. The range also means there is no single completion period applying uniformly to the entire package. The auction date alone does not establish a calendar deadline for every project.
The 30-year concessions are separate from those construction timetables. One figure describes the duration of the concessions; the other describes the periods for completing the projects after contracts are signed. Keeping the two distinct avoids suggesting that construction is expected to last for the full concession term.
The final auction of the year therefore closes with awards across all eight lots and a substantial programme of planned grid work. Its eventual delivery will be measured against the specified project periods, while the investment and employment totals remain expectations rather than expenditure or jobs already realised.
