[2020-02-24] Consortium from China interested in Portuguese highway company Brisa – Auto-estradas de Portugal

Source: Macauhub

A consortium led by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) will be one of the parties interested in buying the stake of Portuguese Group José de Mello Capital in highway company Brisa – Auto-estradas de Portugal, financial news agency Bloomberg reported.

The agency also said the CSCEC group had set up a consortium with China’s CNIC Corporation Limited and the China-Portuguese-Speaking Countries Co-operation and Development Fund.

Among the competitors to buy the José de Mello Group’s stake, as well as that of the Arcus European Infrastructure Fund GP LLP, in the motorway concessionaire are Spanish operators Global Via and Abertis, the latter in consortium with the sovereign fund of Singapore (GIC Private Limited), as well as Japan’s Marubeni.

Bloomberg added that other potential interested parties include other funds such as France’s Ardian and Australia’s Macquarie Group.

The sources quoted by the agency said the board of Brisa was conducting technical presentations to potential interested parties, and the deal, which is worth some €3 billion, should be completed by next July.

Brisa operated a road network stretching over more than 1,600 kilometres in Portugal that includes 17 motorways.