Balance 2024: OEC closes the year with major deliveries and consolidates its leadership in heavy construction

In 2024, OEC – Odebrecht Engineering & Construction reaffirmed its position as the largest heavy construction company in Brazil by delivering significant projects that contribute to the country’s growth, in addition to renewing its portfolio with new achievements. According to estimates by the Brazilian Association of Infrastructure and Basic Industries (ABDIB), the volume of public and private investments in Brazil is expected to total R$ 259.3 billion in 2024. The data was published in the Infrastructure Blue Book, released this December. According to the entity, the sector’s outlook is promising for the next five years. In private investments alone, it is estimated that more than R$ 370 billion will be invested, a value 63% higher than the projection made last year for the cycle between 2024 and 2028, reflecting the advancement of concessions in the country.

In 2024, more than 7,000 people were hired by OEC, focusing on the projects under execution by the company. The year began with the delivery, in January, of the Humaitá submarine, the second conventional submersible built for the Submarine Development Program (PROSUB) of the Brazilian Navy. The project was carried out by Itaguaí Construções Navais (ICN), a partnership between Novonor and the French Naval Group. The third submarine, Tonelero, is already in the testing phase and should soon be integrated into the Brazilian fleet. Additionally, within the scope of PROSUB, OEC delivered civil installations of the support structure for the operation of the vessels.

One of the major milestones for the construction company this year was the start of works on the North section of the Mário Covas Beltway, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. Contracted by Via Appia Concessions, the Cantareira Consortium, led by OEC, will complete the closure of the ring road, contributing to the improvement of traffic around the largest city in the country. The work began in April, at the junction of the Presidente Dutra Highway (BR-116), and will connect the west and east sections, linking the entire ring road with the union of the Fernão Dias (BR-381) and Presidente Dutra (BR-116) highways. Still in São Paulo, the company is nearing the completion of the maintenance service of the Vila Caiçara Submarine Emissary, for Sabesp.

“Given the challenges of constructing the North Beltway, a work of extreme relevance for the state and the population of São Paulo, Via Appia conducted a rigorous and transparent bidding process, meticulously evaluating technical, financial, and legal criteria. The choice of OEC as a partner was based on its recognized executive capacity and expertise, which stood out as essential differentials to ensure the delivery of the work with excellence, within the contractual deadline, and with the quality required for a project of this magnitude,” highlighted Brendon Ramos, CEO of Via Appia.

The first half of the year was also marked by the delivery of the Transbrasil BRT, one of the most relevant works in the capital of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to three terminals of the Transoeste BRT corridor – Magarça, Mato Alto, and Pingo D’Água – delivered between March and June. On December 23, it was the turn of the Curral Falso Terminal to be delivered to the population by Mayor Eduardo Paes. The facility has an area of 18.3 thousand square meters, with integration between regular buses and vans. The terminal will also have an access walkway and a bicycle parking lot with 400 spaces.

In July, the Mergulhão under Cesário de Melo Avenue, in the Campo Grande neighborhood, in Rio de Janeiro, was delivered. The work is part of the Ring Road intervention package, within the Campo Grande Mobility Plan, a project that is transforming the most populous neighborhood in the country and is expected to be completed in 2026. The Mergulhão is 420 meters long and 13 meters wide, with four lanes, two in each direction of the road.

Still in the road segment, OEC completed, in October, the duplication of 4.74 kilometers of the first section of the Rodovia dos Minérios (PR-092), between the cities of Curitiba and Almirante Tamandaré in Paraná. The intervention provides more safety to the population of the region, especially truck drivers, in what is considered one of the main logistical drainage channels for mineral, steel, tourism, and agribusiness activities in the southern region of the country. Ten bridges, four viaducts, as well as a bike path and pedestrian walkways were built.

In Minas Gerais, OEC delivered five new Health Centers in the city of Belo Horizonte, capable of serving more than 120,000 people. The company also began the construction of four new Municipal Early Childhood Education Schools (EMEIs), which, when completed, will provide more than 1,500 places for students in the capital.

In the United States, OEC completed the first phase of the works on the new check-in area of the Central Terminal and the interconnection of the baggage system at Miami International Airport (MIA) in October, a work that received the highest score in all evaluation criteria established by Miami-Dade County. The space received modern counters, equipped with the most advanced self-service baggage dispatch technology. The renovation is part of an investment package of approximately US$ 38 million directed to the F and G lobbies of the Terminal. Over the next 10 years, the airport will invest more than US$ 9 billion in modernization and improvements.

At the city’s port, OEC began a project that will enable the use of electric gantry cranes, resulting in significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to increasing the operational efficiency of the enterprise, one of the most important in the country. The intervention is part of the port’s carbon neutralization program and was designed to increase cargo movement and reduce dependence on diesel-powered equipment. The work also includes the construction of metal structures for storing refrigerated containers connected to the electrical grid. The Brazilian construction company was responsible for the first phase of this same project, delivered in 2021.

In Angola, the company advanced to the completion phase of the Barra do Dande Ocean Terminal and the works of the Cabinda and Lobito Refineries. In Ghana, it completed the work on the Eastern Corridor Road, the company’s first project in the country.

Tenenge, a subsidiary of OEC specializing in the industrial construction market, completed the construction of the Gas Sul Terminal (TGS) in Babitonga Bay, Santa Catarina. With the completion of the work, the definitive transfer of the terminal’s operation to New Fortress Energy, the owner of TGS, was carried out. The terminal can supply up to 15 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, representing an increase of more than three times the total previously available in the state of Santa Catarina. The project was awarded this year with the merit trophy in the Energy/Industrial category by the renowned Global Best Projects, offered by the American magazine ENR. In Amazonas, in partnership with PowerChina, Tenenge is finalizing civil works for the Azulão Project, an enterprise that will provide more energy and development for the northern region of the country.

New deliveries on the way

In May, the service order was issued to start the works on section 5 of the Canal do Sertão in Alagoas. The project is part of the Water for All axis of the Federal Government and will be built between Km 123.4 and 150, in the municipalities of São José da Tapera, Olho D’Água das Flores, and Monteirópolis. More than 800 jobs are expected to be generated at the peak of the work, prioritizing local labor.

Another highlight was the start of construction of one of the most anticipated works by the people of Paraná: the Guaratuba Bridge. In total, there will be 64 piles with an average length of 40 meters, of which 30 will be submerged. The bridge is a long-standing desire of the local population, connecting the cities of Guaratuba and Matinhos, on the state’s coast, 130 km from the capital Curitiba. It is expected that around 600 direct and indirect jobs will be generated at the peak of the work. The project is being carried out by the Nova Ponte Consortium, formed by the construction companies OEC, Carioca, and Goetze Lobato.

In Rio Grande do Sul, the company obtained contracts for the execution of new sections on BR 386, a concession operated by CCR.

In partnership with the Enseada shipyard, located in Maragogipe, in the Recôncavo Baiano, Tenenge will build 80 barges with a capacity to transport 2,900 tons each, for LHG Mining, of the J&F Group. The shipyard was also chosen by the Dutch client CMM – Compagnie Maritime Monégasque to build six hybrid multipurpose ships, which will serve Petrobras’ operations.

“The year 2024 was a milestone for OEC. In addition to celebrating 80 years of foundation, we were able to add new achievements to the more than 3,000 projects executed in 38 countries around the world. In this way, we reaffirm our mission to build the future and seek excellence in our deliveries, which become a testament to our strength in the national and international market,” says Maurício Cruz Lopes, president of OEC.