Brazil Water Tech SABESP Initiatives

Sabesp, Latin America’s largest water and sanitation utility serving the state of São Paulo, recently completed the acquisition of EMAE (Metropolitan Company of Water and Energy), a former state-owned enterprise responsible for managing dams, reservoirs, and small hydropower plants across the metropolitan region. The acquisition marks a key milestone in Sabesp’s long-term strategy to integrate water management, sanitation, and energy generation in the state.

Alongside Sabesp’s initiatives, the Secretariat of Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics is preparing a US$ 1.8 billion Dredging Public-Private Partnership (PPP), now under public consultation and expected to be awarded in 2026. The project will expand dredging of the Tietê and Pinheiros rivers, improve water quality, remove solid waste and floating vegetation, conserve river margins, and enhance landscaping and flood resilience.

Together, these efforts will advance the revitalization of the Tietê and Pinheiros river basins and enable the future use of treated water from these rivers in the public supply network. Sabesp plans major investments in depollution, wastewater treatment, and water quality monitoring under the expanded Tietê Clean Project, targeting full river recovery by 2029.

Once completed, the initiatives are expected to boost water security for more than 20 million residents and enhance the sustainability of São Paulo’s urban water cycle.

U.S. companies offering solutions in advanced water treatment, pollution control, hydropower optimization, and environmental monitoring technologies may find new business opportunities as these projects advance. 

For additional information and assistance, please contact Commercial Specialist - Environmental Industry, Thales Demarchi from the U.S. Embassy team in São Paulo at thales.demarchi@trade.gov. 

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