Ferrogrão: Weaknesses and Lessons Learned in Implementing a Sustainable Infrastructure Agenda

The Ferrogrão (EF-170) railroad is a proposed 930 km project in Brazil designed to reduce soy export costs and emissions, but it faces significant environmental risks and legal challenges due to its path through the Amazon rainforest. Despite a potential delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the project remains a priority for government-led economic recovery, even as global investment trends shift toward stricter sustainable standards.

• The Ferrogrão (EF-170) railroad is a proposed 930 km greenfield project designed to lower transportation costs and carbon emissions for soy exports from Mato Grosso. The route runs through the Amazon rainforest to the Miritituba river transshipment terminal complex in Itaituba, Pará, with an estimated cost of nearly R$ 17 billion.
• The project has faced significant socio-environmental challenges and legal disputes. A 2017 Provisional Decree to withdraw public access from part of the BR-163/MT/PA right-of-way was found to potentially impact nearly one million hectares of forests in conservation units, leading to a presidential veto. Additionally, the project's public consultation procedures and environmental studies were challenged in court twice between 2017 and 2018.
• While the PPI originally planned to publish the concession notice for Ferrogrão in the second half of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic likely postponed this. However, the project may regain priority as the government intends to base economic recovery on infrastructure investments.
• There is a global shift toward more rigid and sustainable socio-environmental standards for investments. This trend is driven by the view that socially and environmentally minded investments are less risky and more financially attractive.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2020). Ferrogrão: Weaknesses and Lessons Learned in Implementing a Sustainable Infrastructure Agenda. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/ferrograo-weaknesses-and-lessons-learned-in-implementing-a-sustainable-infrastructure-agenda/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. Ferrogrão: Weaknesses and Lessons Learned in Implementing a Sustainable Infrastructure Agenda. 2020. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/ferrograo-weaknesses-and-lessons-learned-in-implementing-a-sustainable-infrastructure-agenda/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=Ferrogrão: Weaknesses and Lessons Learned in Implementing a Sustainable Infrastructure Agenda |date=23 September 2020 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/ferrograo-weaknesses-and-lessons-learned-in-implementing-a-sustainable-infrastructure-agenda/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2020ferrogro, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{Ferrogrão: Weaknesses and Lessons Learned in Implementing a Sustainable Infrastructure Agenda}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/ferrograo-weaknesses-and-lessons-learned-in-implementing-a-sustainable-infrastructure-agenda/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }