Brasília, April 11, 2025 (Lusa) - The chief executive of the South American operations of Energias de Portugal (EDP) has said that he is "absolutely certain" that it will be able to secure the renewal of its concession to provide public electricity services in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo.
"I am absolutely certain that it will be renewed," João Marques da Cruz told journalists on Thursday, on the sidelines of the event ’EDP at COP - From Espírito Santo to Pará' in relation to the United Nations Climate Conference (COP30) to be held in November in that part of the Amazon. "I think there is a consensus on the part of the regulator and the Ministry of Mines and Energy" of Brazil.
"It's a question of sooner rather than later," he added.
The concession that EDP has held since July 1995 in Espírito Santo ends in July 2025.
At the same event, the governor of Espírito Santo state, Renato Casagrande, who leads the consortium of governors for climate action, also expressed his confidence in the renewal: "I'm sure it will work out."
Speaking to Lusa at the end of the event in the state capital, Vitória, Marques da Cruz emphasised that EDP's focus on South America, and especially Brazil, is to continue to be strengthened.
For now, he said, there is a commitment to invest 25 billion reais (€3.77 billion at the current exchange rate) by 2030, and EDP will update its business plan and investment figures for the various regions in the last quarter of the year.
"Brazil is the centre of Latin America and the opportunities, objectively, we want to invest in transmission, there will be transmission auctions this year, we are already studying these lots, whether we win or not, we don't know," he stressed.
Another of the company's bets for the future will be "investment in distribution, investment in transmission, investment in renewable generation, investment in the free energy market," he explained. "Because we mustn't forget that Brazil is going to liberalise the market in 2030 and there will be 214 million new consumers in the free market."
At the end of February, the company announced that Marques da Cruz will step down as president of EDP in Brazil and South America on 31 May and will be replaced by João Brito Martins.
Martins has worked for the EDP group since 2005, having been managing director of EDP Espírito Santo in Brazil between 2017 and 2020 and later vice-president for Distribution at EDP Brasil until December 2021. In January 2022, he was appointed director of E-Redes in Portugal, the company's distribution network operator.
Also on Thursday, EDP's shareholders approved the distribution of relative dividends totalling €836.8 million, according to a statement published by Portugal's Securities Market Commission (CMVM).
The EDP board's proposal includes the "appropriation of profits for the 2024 financial year, totalling 817,399,283.34 euros" - with €1 million going to the EDP Foundation (an entity of public interest with various cultural and social initiatives) and €816.3 million to retained earnings.
Dividends totalling €836.8 million were also approved, corresponding to a gross dividend of €0.20 per share.
In Brazil, EDP offers energy solutions for companies, such as solar energy and the sale of electricity on the free market. It also distributes energy to around 3.8 million customers in the states of São Paulo and Espírito Santo.
MIM/ARO // ARO.
Lusa
