{
  "id": 5302738,
  "title": "A Iguá já botou R$ 1 bi para ‘reformar’ a velha Cedae. Os jacarés estão voltando",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/a-igua-ja-botou-r-1-bi-para-reformar-a-velha-cedae-os-jacares-estao",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-03T09:50:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Brazil Journal",
    "slug": "brazil-journal",
    "url": "https://braziljournal.com/a-igua-ja-botou-r-1-bi-para-reformar-a-velha-cedae-os-jacares-estao-voltando/"
  },
  "original_language": "pt",
  "account": "In the Barra da Tijuca wastewater treatment plant, photographs displayed by Iguá Saneamento reveal the 'before and after' of the facility that belonged to the state of Rio de Janeiro's Cedae up until 2022. Upon assuming operations from Cedae after winning the Block 2 leprosy bid the previous year, Iguá found many structures in poor condition. The balancing chimney had to be completely demolished due to structural risk, while generators for maintaining operations during power outages were missing. There was also no computerized operational control center. This is in addition to the state of the lagoon complex in the Barra and Jacarepaguá regions, which had been polluted by decades of sewage and trash dumping – including plastic bags, sofas, and refrigerators. Along with the dirt, the accumulation of waste and excavations carried out for sand removal in the past had left entire lake areas low in oxygen, harming aquatic life. Flávio Vaz, Iguá Rio's general manager, commented to Brazil Journal, noting that while the sanitation sector is a 'revolution,' it is actually a 'silent transformation.' The company has invested R$ 1.1 billion since 2022, which accounts for more than half of the R$ 2 billion planned until 2033 for universal service provision, and is comparable to the total of R$ 2.7 billion forecasted over the 35-year concession period. A portion of the investments are structural, which were put in place in the first year of operation to revitalize the acquired assets. Before expanding, they focused on stabilizing the structures that were constantly failing. Lucas Arrosti, Iguá's operations director, mentioned that the company put R$ 172 million into the reforming and expansion of the Barra ETE, which includes the deployment of a 24×7 control center. Another R$ 90 million was allocated to rejuvenate and modernize 99 water and raw sewage treatment stations. So far, R$ 147 million has been spent on revitalizing the lagoon complex, including dredging of waterlogged areas, installation of barriers to prevent waste entry, and planting of mangroves. The company has planned for R$ 250 million in this area. Despite the 'silent' changes, results are becoming visible, with biologists contracted by the company observing an increase in fish species and birds in the lagoons, for example. The return of jacarés is also noteworthy, as they gave name to the Jacarepaguá neighborhood in the same region. Biologists have registered a 30% increase in the number of juvenile fish, a 60% rise in growing young and a 10% increase in adult numbers, indicating the ecosystem's regeneration. With improved water quality and mangroves, the ecosystem is thriving. Arrosti explained that the higher quality of the water and the presence of mangroves attract wildlife. On the financial side, Iguá Rio has secured all funding, raising R$ 6.5 billion through bonds and R$ 1 billion from the Sanitation for All program. The funds added to a R$ 2 billion contribution from shareholders – Canadian investors CPPIB and AIMCo, and BNDESPar. The debt is due from 2031, giving the company five years to invest, generate cash flow, and pay down the debt as it matures. The company's EBITDA was R$ 438 million in the first half of the year, a 19% increase from the same period a year earlier, and a 56.7% margin, an improvement of 4.8 points compared to the previous year. Vaz stated that operationally, they are increasingly capturing value, and the investments are proving worthwhile for the company.",
  "summary": "RIO DE JANEIRO – Na Estação de Tratamento de Esgoto da Barra da Tijuca, fotos espalhadas pelas instalações mostram o ‘antes e depois’ da unidade que até 2022 pertencia à estatal fluminense Cedae. Quando a Iguá Saneamento assumiu as operações, após vencer o leilão do Bloco 2 da Cedae no ano anterior, encontrou diversas estruturas […] The post A Iguá já botou R$ 1 bi para ‘reformar’ a velha Cedae.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}