WATERAchievements that reflect an entrepreneurial vision of our most essential natural resource
# 153 vol XXXVIII March/April 2011 English Edition
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WATERAchievements that reflect an entrepreneurial vision of our most essential natural resource
# 153 vol XXXVIII March/April 2011 English Edition
informa
#153
WATERLessons on positive relations with nature
in the lagoon region of Maceió, Brazil
Angola invests in water supply through projects
in several parts of the country
A company that is present (and always welcome)
in the daily lives of 4.5 million people
A water supply project in Peru transforms
a desert into fertile land
In the 1980s and 1990s, an irrigation project takes
prosperity to Bahia’s semi-arid hinterland in Brazil
How technology and creativity are ensuring
the preservation of the Madeira River
The Sabor, Europe’s last untamed river: learn
about its history and contribution
Gabriel Azevedo discusses a subject that has
fascinated him since childhood and led him to become
an expert: water
Aquapolo: advances in water reuse methods
for industry
Cetrel and the Camaçari Industrial Complex:
an essential relationship for sustainability
Harvard University Professor John Briscoe
gives optimistic advice
&PEOPLENEWS Organization
Profile
Odebrecht Foundation
TEO
Subsea engineering
People
6
10
16
20
24
28
34
38
42
46
48cover photo:Vicente Sampaio
52
565860
62
64
English Edition
informa4
informa 5
ater is the subject chosen to mark the debut of a
new phase for Odebrecht Informa. In this issue,
#153, the magazine is presenting its readers with
a brand-new editorial and graphic design.
The main purpose of this change is to spot-
light how the people at Odebrecht deal with issues of particular importance
for the Organization, Brazil and the world, no matter where they may be
located. They always handle these matters on the basis of the principles
and concepts of the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology, setting their
own course of action that is always consistent and coherent, thereby con-
solidating a business culture developed for over 65 years. In the end, it is
this culture that we want to showcase and help maintain.
One of the main features of this new format is even more generous
treatment of photos, which are larger and more succinct. Without giving
up its journalistic DNA, which always keeps it on the path of seeking
meaningful, reliable and qualified information, Odebrecht Informa will
start making its reports more analytical, turning them into calls for re-
flection.
Renewal is the natural course of everything that is done by and for peo-
ple who understand that development takes place from day to day through
a proactive and constructive spirit – the same spirit that is driving the world
to discuss its vital relationship with water (whose day is celebrated world-
wide on March 22) in a “glass half full” scenario, as Professor John Bris-
coe, the author of the “argument” section of this issue describes it while
providing optimistic advice.
People in quest of solutions. People for whom the glass is never half
empty – that is what you’ll find in the following pages of Odebrecht Informa,
a publication that is renewing itself, but whose main theme is always peo-
ple and their infinite capacity to dream and achieve.
The enduring spirit of renewal
People in quest
of solutions.
People for whom the
glass is never half
empty – that is what
you’ll find in the
following pages
of Odebrecht Informa,
a publication that is
renewing itself, but
whose main theme
is always people
and their infinite
capacity to dream
and achieve
EDITORIAL
W
6 informa
6
here is a lot of life pulsing around the
Mundaú-Manguaba lagoon complex in
the Brazilian state of Alagoas, the focus
of the activities of Braskem’s Lagoa Viva
(Living Lagoon) Project. When it was
created in 2001, the project focused on environmental
education at Péricles Silvestre Elementary School and
covered the Pontal da Barra community in a district
on the shores of Mundaú Lagoon near the company’s
Chlor-Alkali Unit. A decade later, in addition to raising
environmental awareness, Lagoa Viva is carrying out
projects to generate jobs and income in 37 counties, in-
volving 481 local primary schools, 230,715 students and
9,502 environmental educators.
Nevertheless, the preservation of the Mundaú-
Manguaba Estuary Complex, one of the most important
of its kind in the country, is still the main focus of the
Lagoa Viva Institute, an NGO created to manage en-
vironmental projects in the region. Despite the work
done to raise awareness there, the two lagoons are still
suffering from the environmental degradation caused
by rapid sedimentation, industrial waste disposal, and
T
7informa
In Alagoas, Brazil, 37 counties benefit from an initiative that – much
more than creating jobs and income – generates a symbiotic
relationship between people and nature
LIFE THAT EMANATES FROM lagoonswritten by Rubeny GoulaRt photos by Élvio luiz
sewage from Maceió and surrounding towns and cit-
ies. That process directly and indirectly affects the ap-
proximately 260,000 people who live near the lagoons,
including 5,000 fishermen.
Partnerships with Alagoas Departments of Edu-
cation and the counties in the vicinity of the Mundaú-
Manguaba complex have allowed Lagoa Viva to engage
in more comprehensive and integrated activities that
include preserves and conservation areas of the Atlan-
tic Forest and its ecosystems, formed by salt marsh-
es, caatinga (thorny brush), mangroves, coral reefs
and part of the São Francisco River. Today, in addition
to contributing to the Continuing Education of Public
School System Teachers in Environmental Education,
Lagoa Viva is working to provide the local community
with job skills.
Averaging 224 events per year Braskem has maintained Lagoa Viva since 2001,
implementing the program through partnerships with
schools, universities and counties. Every year, the in-
stitute organizes an average of 224 events, including
The waters of Mundaú Lagoon meet the sea: impressive beauty that inspires change
8 informa
seminars and lectures focused on environmental edu-
cation, in addition to several courses and workshops on
subjects such as beekeeping, hydroponics, handicrafts
and English as a foreign language. “The program’s goal
is to awaken an awareness in people of environmen-
tal issues and mobilize them to take specific action,”
explains Milton Pimentel Pradines Filho, the Braskem
officer Responsible for Institutional Relations.
The more than 417 projects being carried out through
Lagoa Viva in the form of lectures, workshops and field-
work take each county’s potential and aptitudes into ac-
count. Therefore, while the riverside areas of the Pontal
district are encouraged to engage in subsistence fish
farming and produce lace or “fillet,” as the local craft
is called, beekeeping projects are being implemented
in at least seven rural communities in Teotônio Vilela
county, producing honey from stingless bees native to
Brazil. In Santana do Mundaú, one of the areas hardest
hit by floods in that region, the emphasis is on growing
grafted sweet oranges.
The abundance of water in Maceió, a region encircled
by the sea and lagoons, is the greatest inspiration for
most Lagoa Viva projects. All, in some way, reference
the lagoons, which, given the beautiful landscapes in
the region, are popular venues for sightseeing and wa-
ter sports. Environmental awareness, especially about
the need to preserve the 27-sq.km Mundaú Lagoon
and 42-sq.km Manguaba Lagoon, is directly linked to
the economic survival of local communities dependent
on fisheries and the sale of fish, crustaceans and mol-
lusks typical of the region, such as mussels, clams and
maçunin (a marine shellfish).
The Mundaú-Manguaba Complex is also the setting
of the Braskem Ecovela, an event whose main attrac-
tions are a contest for raftsmen to remove trash from
the lagoons and a race for sailing canoes. The number
of counties involved in the competition, now in its sev-
enth edition, increases every year. In 2010, participants
came from Maceió, Coqueiro Seco, Marechal Deodoro,
Pilar, Santa Luzia do Norte, Barra de São Miguel, Ro-
teiro, Penedo, Piaçabuçu, and even the Brejo Grande
and Neópolis communities in the neighboring state of
Sergipe. Together, they removed over 15 metric tons of
trash from the lagoons during the three-day event.
Farming methods The lagoons are not the only places where water
is a vital resource. Lagoa Viva is carrying out a project
to grow hydroponic vegetables in schools, community
areas and rural settlements in the region, under the
supervision of agricultural technician Robson Araújo,
age 27. Robson joined the program in 2003. In addition
to training teachers and students to develop farming
methods for hydroponic organic and vegetable gar-
dens, as well as growing fruit, vegetables, pulses and
medicinal herbs, he is also experimenting with en-
dangered native plants, such as white sucupira and
murici. “Lagoa Viva is a blessing for nature and a tre-
mendous professional opportunity for many people,”
says Robson.
Fisherman with his net and (next page) a child playing in the water: life around the lagoons
9informa
Lagoa Viva spotlights the link between ecological
awareness and its professional education projects,
since, by definition, all educational activities result in
interventions in the natural environment. Because of
that, everyone who participates in Lagoa Viva projects
must take a minimum of 20 class-hours of the pro-
gram’s lectures and courses. “It’s important to convey
the idea that all this economic activity depends on the
environment, and vice versa,” explains Lenice Santos
de Moraes, President of Lagoa Viva. Moreover, there
is an ongoing effort to bring the project and academia
closer together. Through an agreement between the
Federal University at Alagoas (UFAL), Braskem and the
Lagoa Viva Institute, about 150 public school teachers
have already taken courses in Environmental Manage-
ment and Specialization in the Environment.
The combination of professional education and en-
vironmental awareness can be perceived in the attitude
of Jamile Talita, 25, a member of Lagoa Viva since 2003,
the year she first took the “fillet” lacemaking workshop.
“Our lives, culture and survival are closely linked to the
environment,” she says. By improving the technique
which, according to local tradition, is handed down
from mother to daughter, she has helped to increase
her household production, selling about 50 items per
month in local craft shops. “That extra income always
comes in handy and allows us to take bigger steps for-
ward,” says Jamile, who is also studying English, taking
a course sponsored by the Lagoa Viva Institute and run
by the School of Letters’ British House of Culture and
the UFAL Extension Department.
Until the late 1990s, professional education was not
part of the Chlor-Alkali unit’s environmental initiative
(at the time it was controlled by Trikem, an Odebrecht
Organization subsidiary). The Lagoa Project, as it was
called, specifically targeted the community in the Pon-
tal district, which is home to about 4,000 people. “We
had to broaden the range of environmental education to
include other projects involving the community,” says
Industrial Director Álvaro Cezar de Almeida, who took
part in efforts to introduce the new orientation for the
program renamed Lagoa Viva.
In 2003, the Lagoa Viva Institute was born under the
direction of Lenice Santos de Moraes, who was then
the principal of a local school, and her brother, Jorge
Mário, now deceased. The new management, which is
closely linked to environmental activism, has contrib-
uted numerous suggestions that cover the entire spec-
trum of the program, including the production of events
and professional education workshops focused not only
on teachers and students but the entire community. In
2007, prompted by discussions among environmental
educators from Lagoa Viva, the institute created the
School/Community Intervention and Integration Proj-
ect to systematize the application of the concepts of
environmental education in county schools. A key mea-
sure was the creation of an Environmental Committee
to coordinate the involvement of the schools, teachers,
students and the community in environmental activi-
ties. Because more counties in the Mundaú-Manguaba
Estuary Complex are joining Lagoa Viva every year, the
demand for new projects is also on the rise.
The goal is to ensure that, in the future, every county
in the state is included in the project; that students have
a solid environmental education – thereby contributing
to the formation of more environmentally aware citi-
zens – and that more businesses come on board to help
keep Lagoa Viva going strong.
10 informa
written by luiz CaRlos Ramos photos by GuilheRme afonso
Fountains, treatment facilities and distribution systems are examples of projects that are surmounting the water supply challenge in Angola10WATER BRINGS
fter 35 years of independence and
only nine in an actual state of peace,
Angola is making significant progress
in improving the quality of life of its
people who now number around 17
million. The country is embarking on a new cycle of
development marked by the construction of hydroelec-
tric projects, roads, sanitation works and housing. The
government and the residents of the nation’s two larg-
est metropolitan areas – Luanda, with 6 million inhabit-
ants, and Benguela, 2 million – and the other provinces
are united behind this drive.
Alongside the physical aspect of the economic
achievements marked by the entire country’s efforts
and resources derived from oil exports, there is an-
other factor. Almost invisible, but an exciting part of
the new Angola’s image, it is contributing decisively
to improving the public’s quality of life: water. Oil fuels
hope. And water is already reaching more and more
people, bringing new life: it goes from the rivers into
homes after passing through treatment plants and
distribution centers. Odebrecht is taking part in wa-
ter programs for the regions of Luanda and Benguela,
both in the expansion phase, and is carrying on with
its contribution of building dozens of projects since it
arrived in Angola 26 years ago to build the Capanda
hydroelectric plant.
More households are benefiting every month: treat-
ed water is reaching their faucets and showers. In low-
income neighborhoods, which still lack distribution net-
works, residents carry containers to numerous public
fountains to fetch clean water – something that does
not compare with the times when they needed to dig
wells or walk long distances to get water from tanker
trucks that was often tainted.
José Carlos Carvalho, 40, is doubly proud: the An-
golan technician has worked at Odebrecht for 11 years
and lives in a comfortable home in Zango II, in the Vi-
ana district, in the Luanda metropolitan area, where
the arrival of treated water has improved his and his
family’s lives, including his wife, Guilhermina, and their
six children. “Everything’s easier now,” says José Car-
los while drinking water at breakfast with Guilhermina
and their youngest children – Adalberto, 3, Aliony, 6,
and José Lamy, 9 – before leaving for work. “Around
here, the whole neighborhood was thrilled,” he says.
He is working on projects in Zango III and Zango IV,
two other low-income districts where the houses built
by Odebrecht are already finished and equipped with
plumbing and electricity.
Some 510 km away, Maria do Rosário is experienc-
ing the relief of a big achievement. She lives in Catum-
bela, in the Benguela and Lobito region, and like other
housewives, fetches water from a public fountain every
day. Carrying her 8-month-old son Camir on her back,
Maria smiles as she settles a bucket on her head and
takes her leave of her friends. “I’m going to make lunch
for my other five children. The water is good now.”
A
11informa
smilesWATER BRINGS
Maria do Rosário and her son Camir: “The water is good now”
12 informa
Meeting a challenge Luanda has grown over the past 35 years, explains
engineer Pedro Pinheiro, who has been with Odebrecht
for 15 years and spent nine of those years in Angola. He
is currently the Project Director for the Águas de Lu-
anda water supply project: “The city’s growth was disor-
ganized. During times of political tension, many people
came here from other parts of the country to find a safe
haven. Luanda had an infrastructure capable of dealing
with less than 500,000 inhabitants. Today, the popula-
tion has reached 6 million. That growth was very fast
and has made the challenge of bringing water to the
entire population even bigger.”
The Government of Angola has found the answer:
investments. The Ministry of Water and Power is pri-
oritizing funding to avoid interrupting the projects un-
derway in major cities. One example is the Águas de
Luanda Project in the nation’s capital, where Odebrecht
is working on the basis of its extensive track record in
major infrastructure works. The program is linked to
the EPAL, the state-owned company that runs Águas
de Luanda. “Building a project like this in São Paulo or
Rio de Janeiro would be important. But in a country like
Angola, it is paramount. It is a challenging situation for
Odebrecht, and we are making progress,” says Pedro
Pinheiro.
The Southeast Luanda Treatment Plant, which opened
in 2000, receives water from the Kwanza River through
canals, pipelines and pumps. The water is thoroughly
treated before going on to several distribution centers.
Now, Odebrecht is building the Benfica Distribution Cen-
ter and other reservoirs, which are part of the expansion
of water supply services. Pedro Pinheiro explains that
the project involves building two more treatment plants
in the future: “The Bita system, for example, will provide
9 cu.m/s of water, since the river’s flow is big enough.
It is a social necessity. Everything will depend on public
investment.”
There will be no shortage of investments, guaran-
tees Luís Filipe da Silva, the head of the Angola Water
Department, which is part of the Ministry of Water and
Power. He underscores that: “We will continue expand-
ing the works to obtain and treat water and distribute it
to a larger number of people in the Luanda and Ben-
guela regions and in other provinces, on the coast and
inland. This is a process that cannot stop.” The Water
Secretary confirms the Angolan Government’s con-
“My job is much smoother and healthier,” says Márcia Manoel Antonio, who cooks for a living and sells funge, a traditional Angolan dish
13informa
fidence in its capacity to carry out these projects and
hints at ambitious, but achievable plans: “We have
come a long way. Our goal now is to ensure that no An-
golan is without water in the future.”
Homes with piped water Luanda has a busy downtown area with beautiful
scenery along the harbor and bay. In some parts of the
capital, there are urbanized areas with beautiful homes.
However, uncontrolled growth caused by the period of
armed conflict, the housing deficit and the need to re-
furbish the downtown area gave rise to the demand for
the construction of low-income housing.
The Zango Housing Program was designed for the
population living in extremely precarious conditions
without the assurance of minimum living standards
and exposed to hazards such as the constant landslides
caused by torrential rains in Luanda. The program also
aims to allow the reconstruction of basic infrastructure
facilities in parts of the inner city and therefore create
the necessary conditions for their refurbishment.
Maurizio Bastianelli, an engineer who has spent 21
years at Odebrecht and nearly four working in Angola,
is the Project Director for the Population Rehousing
Program. He explains: “The challenge is enormous.
Four thousand housing units were planned for stages III
and IV of the Zango project, which are nearing comple-
tion. Following the contract extension, approved in 2010
by the Angolan Government, we have expanded Zango,
adding the construction of over 3,000 homes and the in-
frastructure required to make 20,000 homes habitable.
Undoubtedly, the houses in Zango, equipped with run-
ning water and electricity, will have a huge social im-
pact and significantly improve Angolans’ quality of life.”
After eight years, a period that includes stages I
and II of the project, life in the Zango community has
been transformed. Most of the low-income residents
are looking forward to these changes, as they still face
hardships with regard to housing, water and power.
Carrying on with the work to resettle populations is
now a priority for the Angolan Government due to the
large number of families that still need better housing,
sanitation and safety.
In the Benguela region, engineer Marcus Felipe de
Aragão Fernandes is the Project Director for the water
supply program covering Benguela, Lobito, Catumbela
Viana residents at their local fountain: making daily life easier
14 informa
and Baía Farta. After working in Portugal, Bolivia, Ec-
uador and Peru, he has taken on a major challenge in
Angola along with his team: “In this region, since 2003
Odebrecht has taken part in urban development, sani-
tation and road construction and rehabilitation projects
as well as building the new airport terminal. We are
also in the third phase of the Águas de Benguela wa-
ter supply project. Water brings quality of life from the
moment it helps prevent the problems caused by poor
supply. Public health has improved.”
Official figures back up Marcus Felipe’s observation.
In the last two years, the Benguela Provincial Health
Department reported just 226 cases of cholera in Ben-
guela and 132 in Lobito, a significant decrease compared
with 2006, when there were 3,850 cases in Benguela and
1,452 in Lobito. The Governor of Benguela, General Ar-
mando da Cruz Neto, reports that by 2012, 95% of the
population of the metropolitan area will have access to
treated water: “The Águas de Benguela water project
benefits about 1.5 million residents in this area, and the
third stage of the project will further expand the system
to substantially increase the number of beneficiaries.”
In a meeting with Marcus Felipe, the governor praised
Odebrecht’s work and observed: “In this third phase
of the program, new fountains will be built and more
household connections will be added, making it possible
to extend its benefits to more distant neighborhoods.”
One of those distant neighborhoods is Alto Niva,
where Alexandrina Agosto Simão sets off every day to
work at the administrative sector of the Odebrecht con-
struction site. An Angolan Odebrecht Member and the
mother of six – baby Aracy, Rosi, Inês, Balbino, Jóia and
Pedro – she, her children and her husband, Professor
Lourenço Maria Antônio, rejoiced when piped water ar-
rived in their home and the entire neighborhood. “Now
the kids are excited at bath time and will have better
health prospects thanks to this water,” says Alexandri-
na, noting her husband’s approving smile. A fan of soc-
cer legend Ronaldo, Laurenço proudly wears the jersey
of Brazil’s national squad.
Engineer Marcus Felipe explains the high quality of
the water in Benguela: “What we have here is the most
advanced there is in purification plants.” The treatment
facility is equipped with huge tanks, where water from
the Catumbela River is decanted to eliminate impuri-
ties such as silt. The system is eco-friendly because it
has a sector in which a portion of the wastewater flows
into a channel to go through an additional step that
15informa
The Southeast Luanda Wastewater Treatment Plant, which opened in 2000, receives water from the Kwanza River through canals, pipelines and pumps. The water is thoroughly treated before going to several distribution centers
leaves it pure. Once separated, the remaining sludge
can be reused to make useful products like bricks.
Controlling water quality Electronic engineer Ricardo Dattelkremer reports
that the Benguela treatment plant was designed in ac-
cordance with standards developed on previous Ode-
brecht projects, and has a state-of-the-art water qual-
ity control laboratory: “The lab plays an important role
because it is often necessary to check the outcome of
the treatment of river water at the plant and recom-
mend the necessary measures.”
As in Benguela, Odebrecht work teams in Luanda
are made up almost exclusively of Angolans who,
alongside the Brazilians, are directly contributing to the
projects’ success. This is the case with Domingos Álva-
res Fonseca Pereira Bravo, better known as Bravo at
the Luanda jobsites. A 14-year Member of Odebrecht
Angola, Bravo is an occupational safety technician. He
says that thanks to the precautions taken at the com-
pany, there have been zero accidents on the water sup-
ply system expansion project. He is also an enthusiastic
advocate of the need for the benefits of water to reach
more people. “For a long time, my wife and six children
and I had no running water at home. I know what it’s
like. Now we have water and the residents of Luanda
have more hope,” says Bravo.
An example of that hope is Denise Correia, who
had not even been born when Angola became an in-
dependent nation in 1975, and experienced hardship
as a child. Denise, 22, lives in the Palanca district with
her sisters Isabel and Lucineide, and is a social worker
on the Águas de Luanda and Special Economic Zone
teams, doing her job on a specially equipped bus that
travels around the region to explain to adults and chil-
dren how important improved water service will be for
the Angolan capital.
“We still don’t have piped water in my house, but
there’s a public fountain nearby, and I store water in a
tank so I can use it whenever I need to.” Denise has a
talent for communication. She uses it to explain how
the water supply project works to local residents and
advises them to be very careful to avoid wasting water.
“This is a wonderful achievement that will soon benefit
the entire population of Luanda. We must value that,”
she says. After working on the bus all day, Denise goes
to night school at Agostinho Neto University, where she
is a first-year Law student.
Enthusiasm about these recent achievements is
now part of life for other Luanda residents. “The wa-
ter we are getting now is of excellent quality com-
pared with our previous situation,” says Edna Sebas-
tiana João. “Now that we have water in Zango, we have
gained more health and happiness,” rejoices com-
munity leader Antonio Domingos, 82. “My job is much
smoother and healthier,” says Márcia Manoel Antonio,
who makes a living by cooking and selling funge, a tra-
ditional Angolan dish.
When he sees the response the works are getting,
engineer Pedro Pinheiro smiles and says: “Being part
of a project like this, which has a social role, inspires
us every day, because we can see how happy people
are with the water.” In his turn, engineer Maurizio Bas-
tianelli points out: “Water and shelter are two achieve-
ments that are becoming increasingly accessible to
people who once had to struggle and wait for them to
arrive.” Engineer Marcus Felipe, a champion of educa-
tion and health as basic civic rights, concludes: “Water
means health, and education helps people conserve
that water. What we are doing here is not just a job. It
is the job.”
16 informa
relationship
16
PERSONAL
informa 17
relationshipThe water supply and sanitation company Foz do Brasil’s services directly benefit 4.5 million people
written by milton GeRson
photos by luCiano andRade
larmist predictions of a world without water,
environmental fads or a simple opportunity to
break into a sector with tremendous poten-
tial were not among the factors that led to the
Odebrecht Organization’s creation in 2007 of a
company that invests in environmental assets and services.
Foz do Brasil arose from the belief that huge investment gaps
and the need for efficient water supply systems presented an op-
portunity to contribute to the conservation of water and the en-
vironment, serving clients through modern, adequate infrastruc-
ture facilities and providing the public with high-quality services,
thereby generating returns for shareholders.
This vision, along with the possibility of growing Foz do Brasil
by making the most of Odebrecht’s geopolitical base and opera-
tional synergies with Cetrel, Braskem, Quattor and the Organiza-
tion’s Engineering & Construction companies, set the direction for
Foz do Brasil’s Action Plan and growth during its first three years
of operations.
In 2009, expansion plans for Foz do Brasil were made feasi-
ble by a partnership with the FI-FGTS (Infrastructure Investment
Fund), which holds a 26.53% stake in the company. Through this
type of investment, the aim is to improve the yield of Brazilian
workers’ resources invested in the Guarantee Fund for Length
of Service. This partnership between Odebrecht and the FI-FGTS
therefore converges with a long-term vision of investment.
Worldwide, there are several areas suffering from water-sup-
ply imbalance – high population density and few available water
sources – while others have a large supply of water and low popu-
lation density. The challenge is to treat, transport and optimize
water within a context of balance. “We don’t envisage catastrophic
prospects of chaos and water shortages in the world. Instead, we
see water as a resource that really needs to be stewarded better.
And with every passing day, Foz do Brasil is increasingly prepared
to meet that challenge,” notes Foz’s Entrepreneurial Leader
(CEO), Fernando Santos-Reis.
The number of private-sector companies active in this indus-
try is still comparatively small in Brazil, given the challenges the
nation faces. According to the Federal Government, it would take
over BRL 200 billion to provide every Brazilian household with wa-
ter supply and sewage collection and treatment services. How-
ever, the greatest contribution Foz do Brasil can make, as one of
the leaders in this industry, is investing in and operating efficient
systems, influencing the industry and the country by example.
In 2011, the company will produce 195 million liters of clean
drinking water per day, treat and reuse 963 million liters per day of
industrial water, and collect and treat 345 million liters per day of
household and industrial sewage. Through sewage collection and
PERSONAL
AFoz do Brasil Member at the company’s Limeira facility: high approval ratings for services
informa
18 informa
One of Foz’s mobile units: informing the community
treatment alone, Foz do Brasil ensures that 110 metric
tons of organic matter daily are no longer discharged
into rivers, lakes and beaches.
Knowledge and synergy The Southern Hemisphere regions that are most
lacking in water investments and still developing their
infrastructure are places where Odebrecht is already
present: Latin America and Africa.
Today, Foz is active at all stages of the water cycle.
The company has assets and businesses that deal
with water collection, storage and distribution; billing;
wastewater treatment; utilizing reused water obtained
from treated sewage for industrial purposes, and the
subsequent final and proper disposal of wastewater in
river basins, waterways and oceans.
In the industrial sector, the prevailing principle is also
water conservation. Foz has the experience required to
operate at all stages, such as utilizing reused water for
cooling machinery and other purposes. “Through differ-
ent contractual arrangements and business features,
as well as varied technologies, we want to be at the
forefront of everything that water resource manage-
ment represents,” says Santos-Reis.
Investments
Since its inception, Foz has invested over BRL 4 billion
in its backlog. Based on its plans for the three-year pe-
riod between 2011 and 2013, the company will invest an-
other BRL 8 billion. According to Ticiana Marianetti, the
company’s officer Responsible for Finance, the planned
investment for 2011 totals BRL 800 million. “These are
long-term investments, and the average payback (return
on investment) period is 15 years,” she explains.
Numbers for Foz do Brasil • services benefit 4.5 million people
• directly employs 1,746 members
• 19 cities serviced in 6 states
• Major private-sector clients: Petrobras,
Braskem, Thyssen, Transpetro, Dow,
Dupont, Rhodia, BattreBahia, Shell
and Klabin.
19informa
Foz do Brasil has a backlog of projects with an av-
erage duration of 24 years. In 2010, the company’s net
revenue reached BRL 804 million, more than double
compared with the previous year. According to Tici-
ana, Foz expects a turnover of BRL 1.3 billion in 2011.
About 60% of that total is based on operations in the
Water segment, 30% on Industrial Plants (outsourcing
utility plants for industries) and 10% in Environmental
Services.
According to Fernando Reis, the main challenge
the company faces is not raising funds, since those
resources are widely available in the financial market.
“The challenge lies in our ability to groom and integrate
new entrepreneur-partners into the company who can
service the communities on the basis of the principles
of TEO (the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology),” he
says. In 2008, when the company began its activities,
it had eight entrepreneur-partners. By 2010, it had 30.
“Over the course of last year, we had to bring in, groom
and integrate 10 entrepreneurs with a base of 20. This
year, we have set ourselves the challenge of integrating
and grooming 10 more,” he adds.
Sustainability While society and the corporate world exhaustively
discuss the issue of sustainability, Foz do Brasil, as
a company whose business is water resource man-
agement, views that subject from a more favorable
position than companies whose activities negatively
impact the environment. This differentiator allows Foz
to have a bolder concept in its Sustainability Policy,
which is based on three pillars: universal access, ef-
ficiency and added value.
“When we are serving 100% of a population by pro-
viding clean drinking water and treated sewage, we
will be fulfilling our commitment to providing universal
services that are directly related to public health and
quality of life,” says Renato Medeiros, Responsible for
Engineering.
Efficiency, he explains, is a sore point in the opera-
tions of water supply and sewer systems in Brazil today.
Average consumption for a household of three to four
people in Brazil is currently 500 liters per day. In this
country, for that amount of water to reach the point of
delivery, 1,000 liters must be removed from the rivers
– in other words, there is a 50% loss of water from the
moment it is collected to the time of final consumption.
“When we attain our standard of efficiency, those
same 500 liters will reach Brazilian homes after collect-
ing just 600 liters. That will save 400 liters per house-
hold every day, so that resource is no longer removed
from nature and more of it is available to serve more
people,” stresses Medeiros.
Renato Medeiros explains that the third pillar of
sustainability, added value, has a broader meaning.
It refers to the value added to society through water
conservation (for public consumption and productive
activities) and added value for the company’s share-
holders, so it can continually reinvest its results in
more projects.
Medeiros also points out the importance of combin-
ing the benefits of sustainability with the client’s satis-
faction and excellent service, whether the client is the
concession grantor or the public. “The quality of care
our utilities provide through toll-free numbers and local
customer service rounds out our operational efficiency
indicators.”
According to Fernando Reis, Foz do Brasil is operat-
ing in the context of optimizing and increasing the dura-
tion of a finite resource. “What is now a relevant public
debate has always been part of life for our programs
and businesses.”
Technological innovations The growing expertise of Foz’s teams qualifies the
company to work with technological innovations such
as water production for industrial purposes through the
reuse of domestic sewage and desalinated seawater.
According to Renato Medeiros, desalination is still ex-
pensive and not widely used because it requires major
investments and involves complex operations, but in the
future it could present a solution to supplying drinking
water in areas that lack fresh water sources.
According to Fernando Reis, in a country like Brazil,
with more than 5,500 counties, the private sector can do
a great deal to supplement the work of the public sec-
tor. And the needs of the segment in which Foz is active
effectively require the natural process of surmounting
challenges that has always gone on within the Odebre-
cht Organization.
“That is why we are continually striving to find new
technologies and pursuing creative, innovative solutions
that get better results for the communities we serve to-
day and those we will serve in the future,” he adds.
20 informa
A water supply project will realize the dream – for many Peruvians, the miracle – of transforming a desert into fertile land
written by Renata meyeR
photos by daRio de fReitas
FROM THE ANDES TO THE
This dam is part of the project: storing water for use during the driest seasons
informa
desertlmos may be the most competitive
area in Peru for pursuing excel-
lence in farming. That might seem
like an overstatement, but it is one
of the few places on the planet
where you can literally grow anything,” observes
agronomist Fernando Cillóniz. Located near the An-
des Mountains, more precisely in the Lambayeque
region, 900 km from Lima, the soil there is fertile,
the sun shines all year round, and the low relative
humidity helps keep pests away.
There is a consensus among local peasant com-
munities, agribusiness entrepreneurs and Peruvian
authorities that, when it comes to food production,
Olmos has all the resources it needs to become the
main force driving development in one of the most
deprived parts of Peru. Almost all, in fact. The only
thing it needs is water. Despite the favorable condi-
tions for farming, the Olmos Valley is located in a des-
ert region where rainfall is never more than 215 mm
per year on average. The nearest river, the Huan-
cabamba, collides with the geography of the Andes,
which prevent it from reaching the Atlantic on the
other side of the mountain range.
Faced with this massive irony of nature, over the
years Olmos was limited to subsistence farming
until a bold water diversion project, planned in the
1920s during the administration of President Au-
gusto Bernardino Leguía, brought fresh prospects
for the region. A long-held dream for the Peruvian
Government began to be fulfilled in that decade, but
was interrupted several times because of financial
shortages and technical limitations.
No wonder. The challenge of bringing irrigation
to Lambayeque involves building a 20-km, 5.3-m di-
ameter tunnel through the unstable geology of the
Andes to convey more than 400 million cubic meters
of water per year to the other side.
In addition to the transposition of the Huan-
cabamba River, the Olmos Project, as it is known,
involves irrigating a 43,500-ha area and building two
hydroelectric plants to generate power for the irri-
gated land.
In 2004, the Regional Government of Lambayeque
issued calls for tenders under the PPP (public-pri-
vate partnership) system for the construction and
operation of water supply and energy generation
systems. Odebrecht Peru won the contract for the
first component and is responsible for the entire in-
vestment required to complete the projects.
The transposition part alone will require total
investments exceeding USD 300 million and mainly
includes the construction of the Trans-Andes Tun-
nel and the Limón Dam, which has already been
completed, and can store up to 44 million cu.m of
water for use during peak dry seasons. The com-
pany responsible for this stage of the project is the
Trasvase Olmos concessionaire, the Odebrecht sub-
sidiary that will operate and maintain the facilities
for a 20-year period.
O
21
“
informa
FROM THE ANDES TO THE
22 informa
One of the world’s most complex projects The construction of the tunnel is one of the most
complex engineering projects underway in the world
today, given its depth (as much as 2,000 m below the
surface of the mountain) and the geological charac-
teristics of the Andes. “This is a geologically young
structure that is still in motion due to tectonic shocks,
which makes the rock highly unstable,” explains Engi-
neering Manager Paulo Affonso Tassi.
The project is a challenge for the 200 members
who work in shifts on the difficult task of excava-
tion. Since the start of construction, there have been
more than 12,000 cracks reported inside the moun-
tain range resulting from the release of energy from
drilled rock. “Our challenge is to understand the
dynamics of the rock and work in a process of con-
tinuous improvement and technological innovation
to overcome obstacles and ensure the safety of our
members,” says Tassi. All but 2.3 km of the 20-km
tunnel have been excavated. According to the engi-
neer, the tunnel will be completed by early 2012.
This stage, the transposition of the Huancabamba
River, is the basis for the irrigation project, which
promises to boost the Olmos Valley’s economy. Through
a private concession agreement signed with the Re-
gional Government of Lambayeque, H2Olmos, a util-
ity company owned by Odebrecht Participações e
Investimentos (Holdings and Investments), will be
responsible for the engineering, financing, construc-
tion, operations and maintenance of infrastructure to
distribute the water that flows in from the other side
of the Andes.
“The Olmos Irrigation Project is the result of our
effort to make businesses viable through innovative
solutions such as the conversion of desert land into
sources of food production,” says Project Director
Giovanni Palacios. In 2008, the concession company
submitted a proposal for an irrigation area to the
Regional Government of Lambayeque. It was ap-
proved in 2010 after a process of adjustments and
adaptations.
In addition to installing 50 km of pipelines to sup-
ply pressurized water, the works include the con-
struction of canals, reservoirs, a tunnel, grit cham-
bers, access roads and power lines. The concession
period is 20 years, including construction, and the
overall investment will total USD 250 million.
Olmos Project facilities (on this and the following page): tools for creating an agribusiness hub
23informa
Of the 43,500-hectare irrigated area, 38,000 ha
will be sold at public auction. The land, currently
owned by the Regional Government of Lambayeque,
is called Tierras Nuevas (New Land), and will be di-
vided into 51 plots ranging from 250 ha to 1,000 ha.
The minimum price stipulated per hectare is USD
4,250, which includes the deed to the property and
water rights. Expectations are that these areas will
be used by agribusinesses dedicated to producing a
range of high-quality crops with excellent yields that
are highly competitive in the international market.
The remaining 5,500 ha belong to the peasant
communities of Valle Viejo. Thanks to irrigation, the
approximately 2,000 residents of that village will be
able to make farming an important source of em-
ployment and income. “This project will give a major
boost to the quality of life of Valle Viejo’s residents.
Without water, we were practically unable to pro-
duce,” says community leader Gregorio Morales. In
both cases, the concessionaire will charge USD 0.07
(seven cents) for each cubic meter of water used.
Agribusiness hubThe Chief Investment Officer for the Trasvase
Olmos concessionaire and H2Olmos, Juan Andrés
Marsano foresees that in the medium and long
term, Lambayeque will become an agribusiness hub
by attracting new businesses and a massive flow of
migrants, particularly in the direction of Olmos.
“At a modest estimate, the irrigation project will be
responsible for creating 40,000 job opportunities, but
there is room for many more. Some question whether
there will be enough professionals in the region to
meet the needs of a project of this magnitude,” he
says. According to Marsano, the Peruvian economy is
experiencing a boom following the removal of trade
barriers, and the country’s strategic location allows
easy access to markets in Asia and the West Coast of
the USA. Both are factors conducive to the project’s
success.
Furthermore, according to Juan Marsano, the Ol-
mos Project is a response to an issue that has been
concerning governments and institutions around
the world: food supply. “There are several good rea-
sons why we believe that Olmos has a tremendous
future ahead. The absence of state government in-
vestments in the food industry over the decades, the
steady increase in prices, climate change and water
scarcity around the world are just some of them,”
he argues.
24 informa
Built in the 1980s and 90s, the Formoso Irrigation Project brings prosperity to Bom Jesus da Lapa, Bahia, in northeastern Brazil
wRitten by Júlio CÉsaR soaRes photos by beG fiGueiRedo
24
RECALLING THE futureMEMORy
25informa
ocated on the banks of the São Francisco River in
western Bahia, Brazil, Bom Jesus da Lapa is famous
for being the destination of more than a million Cath-
olic pilgrims per year, who go to the Church of Bom
Jesus da Lapa, built inside the Cave of Good Jesus.
Gradually, the city is also becoming known for something that had
seemed impossible until a few years back: becoming a major ba-
nana production hub. Thanks to the Formoso Irrigation Project,
which Odebrecht built in that region between 1988 and 1999, Bom
Jesus da Lapa is doing just that.
Denivaldo Antonio de Brito has played a part in this story since
its inception in 1988. Besides being a farmer and a staff member of
the Formoso Irrigation District (DIF) – an association of local pro-
ducers – Denivaldo was also a tractor operator on the project when
Formoso was under construction.
“I worked on a farm before I joined Odebrecht in 1988,” he re-
calls. “Once the project was completed, the company invited me
go to work in Angola. But Codevasf offered me a 4-hectare plot
of land and an opportunity to work in the district, and I took it,”
he says. Denivaldo is one of the 910 small farmers on the project,
which also includes 225 farmers with larger plots, known as busi-
ness producers.
THE futureDenivaldo and his wife,
Ildenice: he helped build Formoso as a tractor
operator, and later became a farmer
L
26 informa
Formoso
has introduced
hitherto unknown
farming and
business methods
in the Bom Jesus
da Lapa region
Sligni nobit alique nist, expediore modicim agnitatistii nobit aliquia
More than 1,100 irrigated plots Comprised of two sectors, Formoso A and Formoso
H, the project was fully completed in 1999. In all, it con-
tains 1,165 plots covering 12,000 ha of irrigated land.
Two pumping plants and 29 pressurization stations
make sure the water reaches the fields. It is conveyed to
the plots by an 82.5-km network of irrigation canals and
a 207-km sprinkler system.
André Rabello, now the Odebrecht CEO in Panama
and the former Project Director of Formoso, says the ir-
rigation project has introduced hitherto unknown farming
and business methods in the Bom Jesus da Lapa region.
“Formoso has given a tremendous boost to the local and
regional economies thanks to these methods and the
introduction of an entrepreneurial culture in the agri-
cultural supply chain.” André also stresses the region’s
development through the creation of work opportunities
after the contract was delivered. Formoso currently gen-
erates 7,000 direct and 14,000 indirect work opportunities
and exports 250 metric tons of produce per day.
Becoming self-sustainingThe client for the project was the Companhia de
Desenvolvimento dos Vales do São Francisco e do
Rita de Cássia: “Formoso gave me a chance to make a living from what I love.” Opposite, farmers working on one of the project’s plots: introducing new crops
informa
Parnaíba (Codevasf), a state-owned company run by
the Federal Ministry of National Integration. “Our role
now is to support the DIF in the operation and main-
tenance of infrastructure for common use within the
perimeter of the project,” says Antonio Carlos Mon-
teiro de Andrade, Codevasf’s Regional Manager for
Irrigation Projects. “Ideally, the project will become
self-sustaining, and we’re heading in that direction.”
For that to happen, the DIF comes into play. Be-
sides taking care of the water supply and acting as
a channel of communication between the farmers
and Codevasf, it provides support for associations of
producers that invest in technologies to increase the
number of crops grown in Formoso.
“We are currently working on planting a new type
of crop on some plots. We recently built a nursery to
start experimenting with growing limes, and it’s go-
ing well,” says Antonio Marcio Rodrigues, Chairman of
the Board of the DIF. The initiative has drawn attention
from Embrapa, the Brazilian state-owned company
that promotes agricultural research, whose represen-
tatives recently paid a visit to the project to help the
producers.
At first, Formoso was a grain-exporting hub. Since
the mid-90s, however, bananas have become the re-
gion’s main crop by far, followed at a distance by papa-
yas, watermelon and cocoa. But the project’s benefi-
ciaries do not just make a living from farming.
Rita de Cássia Fontes Teixeira left behind a job
in livestock management to become the President
of the Association of Strong Women, which makes
handicrafts from banana fiber. “I’ve always had a
passion for crafts, but working on farms took all my
time. Formoso gave me a chance to make a living
from what I love,” she says. The association has the
backing of the Bahia branch of the Brazilian Support
Service for Micro and Small Businesses (Sebrae)
and the Amanhã (Tomorrow) Project, organized by
Codevasf to establish a permanent settlement in
Formoso.
Most of the handicraft association’s output is sold lo-
cally. “We participate in fairs, usually the ones Codevasf
recommends, and we’re partnering with a furniture
store in Bom Jesus da Lapa,” explains Rita. She plans
to take the association much further. A computer
bought with money earned from handicrafts just needs
to be linked to the Internet so they can showcase the
project around the world. Asked if she misses her life
as a livestock manager, Rita smiles: “Not at all. I am
happier now, and life is much better.”
28 informa
28on the madeira
ALL OF LIFE FLOWS
29informa
Find out about the range of projects aimed at preserving the Madeira River during construction of the Santo Antônio hydroelectric plant
written by Cláudio lovato filho
photos by RiCaRdo de saGebin
on the madeirahe main character in this story is a river. Its
name is the Madeira (“wood” in Portuguese).
An Amazon tributary, its waters are fulfilling
the dream that a powerful new development
vector will emerge in the Brazilian state of
Rondônia and the entire country: the Santo Antônio hydro-
electric plant, which will start producing power by Decem-
ber 2011.
Bordered by streams and born in the Andes mountains
and the Parecis highlands in Mato Grosso, Brazil, this river
is also the setting of unprecedented environmental projects
aimed at its preservation. Working in the Amazon rain for-
est, teams from the Santo Antônio Construction Joint Ven-
ture, formed by the Santo Antônio Civil Consortium (CSAC)
– whose partners are Odebrecht and Andrade Gutierrez –
and Odebrecht Engineering & Construction (responsible
for electromechanical assembly), are tasked with building a
gigantic plant equipped with 44 turbines while maintaining
T
30 informa
the river water’s quality. The work done to overcome
this challenge of preservation, experienced in the day-
to-day construction of the project, is making Santo An-
tônio a benchmark for future hydroelectric projects in
Brazil and worldwide.
Begun in September 2008, the plant’s construction
was the subject of one of the most comprehensive and
advanced environmental impact assessments (EIAs)
ever carried out for the implementation of a hydroelec-
tric project, which has made it a role model in Bra-
zil. The research involved experts and scholars of the
Amazon region, who devoted themselves exclusively to
this project.
The results provided a tremendous advance in knowl-
edge about the environment of the Madeira River Ba-
sin and guidelines for its preservation. The use of bulb
turbines is one example. This type of turbine, which
can work with high flows and small falls, allows the
construction of low dams and, consequently, smaller
flooded areas (in Santo Antônio, they will be virtually
nonexistent), resulting in the smallest possible envi-
ronmental impacts resulting from the venture’s execu-
tion. The natural characteristics of the Madeira, a river
with a large water volume most of the year, made it
possible to use these turbines.
Due to its size, importance and location, a project
like Santo Antônio requires a sense of urgency from
the builders that leads to the constant pursuit and
identification of new and better solutions. When it
comes to the environment, in the case of Santo An-
tônio, urgency – no matter how good the results have
been – is a trademark.
“Before breaking ground, back during the plan-
ning stage, we identified all the processes that would
be carried out during the plant’s construction, as well
as their environmental impacts,” says the CSAC’s En-
vironment Business Manager Nelson da Costa Alves,
who has been with Odebrecht for 11 years. “As for
water, we carry out an integrated monitoring system
here. We provide support and follow up on all the work
fronts and their relations with water resources on both
sides of the river.”
Monitoring water quality One of the highlights of the preservation programs
for the Madeira River is water-quality monitoring in real
time, carried out continuously at three stations, one
upstream and the other two downstream of where the
dam is being built, known as the Santo Antônio Falls.
Implemented in partnership with Ecology Brasil,
the monitoring system is composed of sensors that
provide data on the following parameters via satel-
lite: water temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen,
oxygen saturation, pH (hydrogen-ionic potential), ORP
(oxidation reduction potential), dissolved solids and
turbidity. In addition to real-time monitoring, quarterly
samples are collected for laboratory analyses of 121
physical, physicochemical, chemical and biological
variables.
The data is sent to a mobile floating lab that keeps
track of the performance of all the jobs being done on
the left and right banks that might affect water quality.
This was one of environmental preservation initiatives
that weighed decisively in obtaining ISO 14000 certifi-
cation for the project in September 2010.
“The Santo Antônio hydroelectric plant is being built
without affecting water quality on the Madeira River,”
says José Bonifácio Pinto Júnior, CEO of Odebrecht
Energia. He joined the project in 2001, when the first
feasibility studies were carried out for harnessing the
Madeira’s hydropower potential. “We’ve always known
it would be this way,” he adds.
Bonifácio’s words are backed by the argument of
Paul Varella, Director of the National Water Agency
(ANA). “In the second half of 2010, I accompanied the
then-Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Environ-
Water quality monitoring is done continuously in real time at three stations
31informa
ment, José Machado, on a visit to the Santo Antônio
construction site. I had the impression that I was see-
ing a project being built at a fast pace, not only using
the very latest in technology but putting the concept of
sustainability into practice.” Varella adds: “The Ama-
zon has vast hydroelectric potential, but it is also a vi-
tal ecosystem that needs to be developed in a rational
and sustainable way. I believe Santo Antônio is a global
benchmark that shows it is possible to preserve and
develop at the same time, with a sense of social and
environmental responsibility.”
Organic reagent There are currently about 14,000 people working on
the Santo Antônio project – the population of a city. At
the construction site, 100% of the sewage is processed
at two treatment plants (STPs), modular structures in-
stalled on both banks of the river.
Water for human and industrial use is purified at
five treatment plants (WTPs) – three for drinking water
and two for water used for industrial processes. Ten
counties in Rondônia, including the state capital, Porto
Velho, are adopting the model for water and wastewa-
ter treatment used at the Santo Antônio jobsite. “When
the company’s programs ‘leave’ the perimeter of the
jobsite and generate a very positive interface with the
community, it is very gratifying,” says Nelson Alves.
The process of designing, building and operating
water treatment plants at the Santo Antônio jobsite
has been described in a paper titled “Eco-Friendly
Closed-Loop WTP: Treatment with Organic Reagents
and Reuse of Water from Sludge,” the winner of the
Odebrecht Organization’s 2010 Highlight Award in the
Environment category.
Written by Anelisa Cantieri, a member of Nelson
Alves’s team, the paper presents an innovative solu-
tion: using a low molecular weight cationic polyelec-
trolyte produced from tannin extracted from the bark
of black wattle trees instead of aluminum sulfate. It is
marketed as Veta Orgânica.
Used in most water treatment facilities in Brazil,
aluminum sulfate is a chemical reagent that, when
discarded in the environment, is hard to degrade be-
cause it is a heavy metal, presenting a threat to plant
and animal life.
The decision to treat water without producing waste
that could harm the environment and reuse wastewa-
ter led to the introduction of the organic reagent based
on tannin. The effluent (sludge) produced by washing
filters and clarifiers is recycled in treated industrial
water storage tanks after passing through a system
of landforms and porous pockets that trap sludge and
release clean water. This cuts down on the need to use
natural resources, especially water. Because an or-
ganic reagent is used, the sludge can be turned into
compost for the reforestation of the construction site.
The five WTPs at the Santo Antônio jobsite all use
this system. They can treat up to 560 cubic meters
On this page, the floating lab and one of the water quality monitoring stations Opposite, a member of Ecology Brasil with one of the probes installed at the stations
32 informa
of water per hour, including 400 cu.m/h of industrial
water and 160 cu.m/h of drinking water. “What we
have here is a city that doesn’t depend on the city,”
says Nelson Alves, referring to the construction site
and Porto Velho, which is 7 km from the project.
At the concrete batching plant on the left bank,
water reuse is also imperative. Part of the wa-
ter treated at the WTPs is used to make concrete,
and after cement trucks are washed, the water is
treated in five decantation pools and reused to clean
regular trucks.
“We’ve tried to make our environmental manage-
ment system simple, flexible and light, so it is easy for
all the workers at the jobsite to understand and prac-
tice. That is how we have achieved the expected out-
come of raising awareness on a project where 80% of
the Members had never worked on an engineering and
construction project before,” observes Nelson Alves.
“We have had an excellent response, and the nearby
communities, where most of the workers at Santo An-
tônio are from, are all benefiting, because people are
sharing what they learn here with them.” The Santo
Antônio Plant Environmental Program team, led by
Nelson Alves, is made up of 75 people, including the
technical-operational people. Seventy of those profes-
sionals are from Rondônia.
“The environmental protection measures put into
practice as part of the construction of the Santo An-
tônio hydroelectric plant are very positive and exemplify
the best practices worldwide,” says Environmental and
Sustainable Development consultant John Redwood, a
former Sustainable Environmental and Social Devel-
opment Director at the World Bank. “This set of proj-
ects should undoubtedly be considered a benchmark
and merits careful and detailed study and widespread
dissemination.” Redwood adds: “Odebrecht has accu-
mulated knowledge over many years of experience in
water-related projects, and is putting into practice the
best of what it has learned.”
Scale models Several other projects are playing an important
role in preserving the environment in the vicinity of the
project, particularly on the Madeira River. The river’s
name, incidentally, is a reminder of one of the biggest
challenges of this project: one of the characteristics
of the river is the large concentration of solids in the
water, mainly wood (tree trunks and branches) and
sediments, a phenomenon linked to its origins on the
erodible slopes of the Andes.
The management of these solids has been the fo-
cus of the largest studies conducted at Santo Antônio.
The decision reached was to deploy pipe-shaped buoys
to convey trunks and branches into a canal running be-
side the dam.
This and other features – such as the fish pas-
sage system (FPS), which allows aquatic life to swim
upstream and ensures optimal breeding conditions –
33informa
have been tested with scale models in Rondônia and
Rio de Janeiro.
The FPS was tested with a scale model built in
the Teotônio Waterfall, 20 km upstream from the
Santo Antônio hydroelectric plant construction site.
A BRL 10-million model reduced at a scale of 1:80
(one to eighty) reproduces the entire plant. It was
built at the São José de Furnas substation at Belford
Roxo, Rio de Janeiro. It covers a 4,000-sq.m area and
can be used to test all the activities involved in the
construction project, verifying the functionality of
the concrete structures and assessing the behav-
ior of sediment. The diversion of the Madeira River,
planned for July 2011, is also being simulated with a
scale model designed by the PCE Engenharia engi-
neering firm.
“Here we can foresee situations that will come up
during construction and offer alternative solutions,”
explains engineer Edgar Fernando Trierweiler Neto,
from Furnas (the company that, along with Odebre-
cht, controls Santo Antônio Energia, which is respon-
sible for operating the facility for 30 years). Edgar
shares responsibility for the scale model with en-
gineer Pedro Ernesto Souza Albuquerque, from the
Engevix company.
Consolidating activitiesInvestments like this are part of a very complex sce-
nario that highlights not only the expectation of future
power generation of 3,150 MW, which is essential for
Brazil, but also a genuine concern for the protection
of a rich ecosystem that is crucial for Brazil and the
world.
Professor Henrique Chaves, from the University of
Brasilia (UNB) School of Forestry, is also a consul-
tant who has authored a scholarly paper that shows
how the various water-related activities in Santo
Antônio come together. “Odebrecht has sought, in
a rational and integrated way, to reduce environ-
mental impacts on the watershed, which effectively
contributes to preserving the quantity and quality of
water in the sphere of influence of the construction
works.”
At Santo Antônio, the measures that particularly
attracted his attention were the rational use of water
to supply the construction site, sewage treatment, re-
cycling of solid waste and protection of water sources
through the replanting of the slopes at the jobsite and
dump sites. “These activities contribute to the preser-
vation of water quality on the Madeira River, as well as
the soil and vegetation in the construction site’s sphere
of influence.”
According to Henrique Chaves, the environmental
preservation program implemented at Santo Antônio
has made it a benchmark for future hydroelectric proj-
ects in Brazil. “It involves innovative, high-impact ini-
tiatives that are unprecedented for major projects in
this country.”.
Going fast on the Madeira: river residents travel in small motorboats called “fliers”
34 informa
34The lasT unTamed
Twelve programs covering a range of environmental mitigation and compensation measures are preserving the waters of the Sabor River in Portugal
35informa
The lasT unTamed river
written by fabiana CabRal photos by holanda CavalCanti
36 informa
n the mountains alongside the Sabor River,
António Augusto Salvador, 62, whistles to
guide his flock to green pastures. Using a
bamboo pole as a walking stick, he strides
through the region every day, together with
110 sheep and two dogs. “I’m a shepherd and I was
born for this life. It’s all I know,” he says, smiling.
A few miles away, Paula Cristina Lopes Sendas
Costa, the owner of the Tic Tac Cafe, zips back and
forth to greet her customers. “In the mornings, a
lot of people come for breakfast, and in the eve-
nings they get together to chat and play cards. It’s
become a gathering spot,” she says about her first
business.
António and Paula live in Torre de Moncorvo in the
Bragança District in northern Portugal. Established
in the thirteenth century, the mountain town of about
10,000 inhabitants lies near the Spanish border and
the confluence of the Sabor and the Douro, which
rises in Spain.
The stretch of the Sabor that flows through Torre
de Moncorvo is the area where the Complementary
Group of Companies (ACE) formed by Odebrecht-
Bento Pedroso Construções (BPC) and Lena Con-
struções has been building the Baixo Sabor hy-
droelectric plant since 2008 for EDP – Gestão da
Produção de Energia S.A.
The project is part of the National Program for
High Hydropower-Potential Dams (PNBEPH) estab-
lished by the Portuguese Government in 2007. “The
construction of this and other dams and reinforce-
ment of existing power supplies guarantees the
autonomy of power generation in Portugal, whose
capacity will rise from 60% to 76% by 2020,” ex-
plains Project Director Gilberto Costa. “In addition
to minimizing dependence on foreign energy, these
projects will enhance the electrical supply system.
Reversible dams like Baixo Sabor can store water
for periods of increased consumption, using surplus
energy from wind turbines,” adds EDP Representa-
tive Carvalho Bastos.
The Baixo Sabor hydro will consist of two dams,
upstream and downstream of the Sabor River,
equipped with reversible systems – generators and
pumps – to balance energy consumption and waste,
and store water. Its reservoirs, which will be located
among the towns of Torre de Moncorvo, Alfândega
da Fé, Mogadouro and Macedo de Cavaleiros, will
create the most significant water reserves in the
part of the Douro River Basin that lies in Portu-
guese territory. “This will double water storage on
the Douro,” says Gilberto Costa. Carvalho Bastos
agrees: “The Baixo Sabor hydro will also increase
the capacity of other dams already installed along
the Douro.”
Not only that, but the dams will help reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, regulate water distri-
bution in the region (especially in times of drought),
prevent floods and make surplus energy from wind
turbine parks profitable.
Turbines and pumping systems will recoup the
operating losses of the wind turbines on “both sides.”
In certain periods, instead of using turbines to gen-
erate electricity from water, wind power will pump
the water and store it in tanks for use during peak
consumption periods. “The main downstream activ-
ity will be water storage, while the main upstream
activity will be electricity production. The pumping
will be done from the Douro River to the Sabor, and
the turbines will operate from the Sabor in the di-
rection of the Douro,” says Carlos Matos, the officer
Responsible for downstream construction works.
Shepherd António Augusto Salvador: “I was born for this life”
I
37informa
Untamed river Unlike the Douro, which has six dams on the Por-
tuguese side and seven in Spain, the Sabor is known
as the “last untamed river in Europe.” It has never
been subjected to human influence, except for the
activities of small farmers.
To preserve the waters of this “untamed river”
and the plant and animal life on its shores, ACE
Baixo Sabor is carrying out several environmental
mitigation and compensation measures with the
support of the EDP and partner institutions. There
are 12 programs related to fauna and flora, aquatic
ecosystems, air and water quality and the preserva-
tion of historical and cultural heritage in the region,
with 140 environmental technicians involved in the
Construction Project Environmental Management
Plan (PGAO).
According to Augusta Fernandes, the Coordinator
of the ACE’s Integrated Management System – QSE
(Quality, Safety and Environment), the main goal is
to avoid contaminating the river. “Through the Wa-
ter Quality Monitoring Program, we conduct monthly
tests at 23 different points along the 80-km water-
way. We have 27 evaluation parameters such as
acidity, organic load and biological contamination,
and also evaluate the animal life around the entire
river. The documentation is reviewed by the EU Envi-
ronment Commission.”
The implementation of measures to control ero-
sion and sediment – barriers, slope protection and
maintenance of the riparian gallery vegetation (plant
life typically found on the banks of rivers and lakes)
– and the installation of water and sewage treatment
plants for the jobsites are also part of the program.
“In the course of three years of work, we have not
seen any change in water quality,” observes Augusta.
The Baixo Sabor hydro will begin generating elec-
tricity by the second half of 2014. However, the EDP
will carry on with all environmental programs for
another 75 years, as stipulated in the contract.
Local development Preventing floods and maintaining a balance be-
tween energy production and consumption are not
the only benefits that the Baixo Sabor hydro will bring
for local residents. “Thanks to the large body of wa-
ter formed by the reservoirs, it will create irrigation
zones, as well as areas for water sports, encouraging
tourism and economic development in the interior of
northern Portugal,” says António Monteiro, the Ad-
ministrative and Financial Manager of the ACE.
Even when viewing the works from afar, António the
shepherd and Paula the cafe owner can already see the
changes they will bring. “Things are getting better be-
cause there’s more work,” says António. “I expect more
business and more tourists,” says Paula.
ACE Baixo Sabor Members monitoring water quality: strict protection for the river
38 informa
38
T HINKING
informa 39
he Brasilia office is just a reference
point for this native of Salvador, Ba-
hia, who has worked for the Odebre-
cht Organization – specifically Ode-
brecht Energia – for three years. Luiz
Gabriel Todt de Azevedo, 46, never stops. Besides
the capital of Brazil, where he lives with his wife
and two sons, Bernardo and Victor, ages 12 and 15,
the civil engineer divides his time between Rio de
Janeiro, São Paulo, where this interview was con-
ducted, and the cities where the company has pow-
er projects. Sometimes he teaches and lectures at
universities like Harvard, in the United States. And
he often plays an active role in discussions around
the world on issues related to sustainability, espe-
cially one that fascinates him and he has known he
would work with since childhood: water.
fluidlywritten by KaRolina Gutiez
photo by bRuno veiGa
INTERVIEW
38T
informa
T HINKING
40 informa
That is his routine, and that is how it has always
been. Before joining Odebrecht, Gabriel, who has
a Master’s degree in hydrology and a PhD in wa-
ter resources from Colorado State University,
the top institution in the US in that field, spent
14 years at the World Bank, devoting himself to
projects involving the main natural resource of
more than 20 countries in Latin America, Africa
and Central Europe. He has also held the posi-
tion of Vice President of the WWF (World Wildlife
Fund), the top international nature conservation
network. At the World Bank, he financed Odebre-
cht projects, several
of which were related
to water resources,
so he already knew
many of his future
co-workers when he
joined the Organiza-
tion.
His personal interest
in issues related to de-
veloping countries and
communities explains
his long experience of
working at a multilateral
agency. “Today, however,
I feel that I can contrib-
ute more to development at Odebrecht than at the World
Bank. The Organization builds iconic projects worldwide,
and that is highly motivating.”
Odebrecht Informa – What roles does Ode-
brecht play when it comes to water?
GABRIEL AzEVEDO – The Organization has
four key roles. First, we are major water us-
ers, but we are increasingly seeking excellence
and efficiency in that regard. Through Foz do
Brasil, we are providers of water supply, col-
lection and treatment services for household
and industrial waste. We also build infrastruc-
ture facilities related to water, such as hy-
droelectric dams, irrigation projects, outfalls,
pipelines, etc. Finally, we invest in large water
projects, such as the Santo Antônio hydroelec-
tric plant in Rondônia and the irrigation project
in Olmos, Peru.
OI – If you were to draw up a scenario for
this natural resource in Brazil and world-
wide, what would it be?
GABRIEL – The situation is not yet alarming, but
it is very complex. What will happen in the next 20
years is up to us. And by us, I mean governments,
businesses and society. The global demand for
water is currently at 4.5 trillion cubic meters per
year. Seventy percent of that is allocated to farm-
ing, and the need for food will only increase. The
planet can renew this resource at a rate of 4.3 tril-
lion cubic meters per year. That is, we are already
using a little more than
our renewable poten-
tial, but even so, a bil-
lion people worldwide
don’t have access to
water and 2 billion lack
basic sanitation. If the
current trends don’t
change, by 2030 the
demand will increase
by 40% to 6.9 trillion
cubic meters per year.
This scenario poses
challenges for the plan-
et, but it also offers fan-
tastic opportunities, es-
pecially in our field. Odebrecht can make an enormous
contribution to building alternative scenarios in Brazil
and other countries.
OI – Has the Organization scored any goals?
GABRIEL – I should point out that Odebrecht had
already built important projects before I joined
the Organization, but I was familiar with them as
a consultant, early in my career, and during my
tenure at the World Bank. The construction of
Seven Oaks Dam in the US state of California in
the 90s for flood prevention was criticized at the
time, but reopened the debate about large dams
in the American West and demystified the verdict
on that issue (Odebrecht later won awards for
that project, including Contractor of the Year in
1999, in the United States). The Integration Canal
(where sections 4 and 5 are nearing completion,
and on which Odebrecht was responsible for sec-
The situation is not yet alarming, but it is very complex. What will happen in the next 20 years is up to us. And by us, I mean governments, businesses and society
41informa
tion 3 as a joint venture) is a complex of pumping
stations, canals, siphons, aqueducts and tunnels
that will use the waters of the Castanhão Dam to
bolster the supply of 4 million inhabitants of 13
counties – including the Fortaleza Metropolitan
Region. It is the biggest infrastructure project
underway in the state of Ceará. It has gained in-
ternational visibility,
since it brings to-
gether a major in-
frastructure project
with the public’s wa-
ter needs. Another
example is the Ponto
Novo Dam, built in
the semiarid region
of Bahia to perenni-
alize the Itapicuru-
açu River, allowing
the installation of
three integrated wa-
ter supply systems
that benefit a total of
70,000 people. The
project was funded
by the World Bank, which has made it a bench-
mark, despite its small size.
OI – What can the Santo Antônio hydroelectric
plant teach the world about water?
GABRIEL – I’ve worked on several hydroelectric plants,
and I’ve never seen one that was so well planned in
terms of sustainability in all its aspects: the physical
environment, the social environment, biodiversity, etc.
Although we are interfering with the river, when I see
the project I get the impression that the Madeira and
the plant have a harmonious relationship.
OI – What should an organization do to stay at
the forefront of this issue? And what should
it not do?
GABRIEL – Is shouldn’t underestimate or overlook the
importance of this subject. After all, no economic ac-
tivity can do without water. In addition to implement-
ing best practices internally, organizations should also
influence the formulation of policies to promote its ef-
ficient and sustainable use. For example, we include
modules on water in Acreditar, the Ongoing Profes-
sional Education Program. We must lead by example
and influence others.
OI – What are the global trends for handling
this issue?
GABRIEL – We are starting to see a discussion of virtual
water. We must account
for water that is con-
sumed when producing
industrial and agricul-
tural goods. Brazilian soy
and beef, which are major
exports, include the water
used to produce them. The
same goes for the plastic
resins Braskem exports
around the globe. As a
result, Brazil is one of the
largest exporters of em-
bedded water. Attention
has been focused on the
climate change debate. It
is indeed a complex issue
that has global impacts
and needs to be discussed. However, water is just as big an
issue but it has not been analyzed to the same extent.
OI – How do you deal with water in your per-
sonal life?
GABRIEL – My father was an engineer and worked on
water projects all his life. Therefore, I always knew that
my future was working with water. It’s part of the life of
any human being, but in my case, it has interested me
since childhood. In addition to my work, even my hob-
bies are water related. My favorite is fishing. And just
as I was influenced, so I try to share my professional
life with my children. They always visit the projects I’m
working on, from the shantytowns of Africa to the San-
to Antônio plant, where I plan to take them this year.
It’s a way of explaining why my work keeps me away
from them, which is justified by the fact that I’m do-
ing something good for others and the environment.
They raise concerns and ask questions. Today, they are
much better informed and more aware than the youth
of my generation. But their challenge will certainly be
much greater.
We must account for water that is consumed when producing industrial and agricultural goods. Brazilian soy and beef, which are major exports, include the water used to produce them. It’s called virtual water
42 informa
42
Aquapolo’s facilities in São
Paulo State: new quality paradigm for
water reuse in Brazil
43informa
A milestone for industrial water use in Brazil, the Aquapolo Project was designed to service companies at the Capuava Petrochemical Complex in São Paulo State
written by eliana simonetti
photos by bRuna RomaRo
he Aquapolo reused water production project
for the Capuava Petrochemical Complex is well
under way in the ABC region, an industrial re-
gion of Greater São Paulo. When completed, it
will solve some serious problems. The main
obstacles to the complex’s development are increasing pol-
lution in the Tamanduateí River, water shortages during the
dry season, and the current need to use clean drinking water
for industrial purposes. Aquapolo will provide the reused water
the São Paulo petrochemical sector needs for growth.
The industries at the Capuava Petrochemical Complex, also
in the ABC region, play an important role in São Paulo State’s
economy: they collect 27% of the ICMS (VAT) collected in that
state, directly and indirectly employ about 25,000 people, and
produce materials for domestic consumption and export –
such as ethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene, raw materials
for the manufacture of resins, synthetic rubber, paints and
plastics. However, to avoid damaging their machinery, they
rely very heavily on steady supplies of water – and from that
standpoint, face a lack of sustainability.
The complex obtains most of its water supply from Cór-
rego dos Meninos, a tributary of the Tamanduateí River. That
resource is under severe stress, and cannot be relied on meet
current needs – let alone in the future, as the companies at the
complex plan to expand their operations.
Cutting-edge technology Aquapolo Ambiental, a Special Purpose Company (SPC)
created by Foz do Brasil (Odebrecht’s environmental engineer-
ing subsidiary) and SABESP (the São Paulo State sanitation
company), has contracted Odebrecht Infraestrutura to build an
T
THE LOGIC OF
reuse
44 informa
Industrial Water Station (EPAI) using cutting-edge tech-
nology to provide water for industrial use in the vicinity of
its Sewage Treatment Plant (ETE ABC) on the border of
São Paulo City and São Caetano do Sul.
Currently, the sewage treated at the ETE ABC is re-
turned to nature. When the new EPAI is up and running,
after undergoing the usual treatment sewage will be con-
ducted to a tank containing bacteria that feed on organic
waste (when that waste is in short supply, ETH, the Orga-
nization’s bioenergy company, will provide the materials
needed to keep the colony of bacteria alive and active).
From that point, the water will pass through a maze-
like oxidation ditch called a TMBR (Tertiary Membrane Bio-
reactor) equipped with ultrafiltration membranes, whose
design won a European award. After that, the treatment
system involves processing in equipment fitted with reverse
osmosis membranes that uses pressure to extract liquid
with high conductivity, as well as solids, ammonia and oth-
er elements that make wastewater unsuitable for industrial
use. “The Aquapolo project is establishing a new quality
paradigm for water reuse in this country,” says Ivanildo
Hespanhol, an expert in that field and a professor at the
University of São Paulo Polytechnic (Poli-USP).
The reused water will pass through two pumping sta-
tions before going on to the complex through a pipeline
made of 900mm-diameter pipe covered with a triple
layer of polyethylene (for durability) bearing the Braskem
brand. The thick polyethylene coating makes touching the
pipe more like handling a car tire, except that each 12.30m
section of pipe weighs 17,721 kg.
At the complex, reused water will be used to produce
steam and cool boilers. Four large reservoirs that the ETE
ABC is not using are being covered to ensure that clients get
a steady supply of reused water, even in times of drought.
The project and city lifeThe implementation of this project involves an added
challenge. The ABC region is densely occupied by homes
and businesses, and its soil contains large quantities of
sand and gravel. Installing a pipeline in that environment
is no easy task. Today, walking through the streets of
São Caetano may require a certain amount of patience.
There are huge holes, both wide and deep, every 100 yards
where workers in safety equipment are digging horizon-
tal tunnels shored with concrete before the steel pipe is
installed.
But all around them, life goes on: people walk by car-
rying grocery bags, trucks maneuver in company yards,
children leave school for the day. “Odebrecht’s work was
planned to avoid interfering in the lives of the cities and
their residents,” says Emyr Costa, Project Director for
Aquapolo.
So wherever there is a built-up area and heavy foot
and vehicle traffic, they use the method described above:
the pipes are installed in small sections, which are then
welded together. When the soil permits, the drilling is
done with equipment that looks like miniature versions of
the tunnel boring machines used to build subways. And
in other areas, such as the Tamanduateí River, the pipe is
laid in open trenches.
According to data from Sabesp, the São Paulo Metro-
politan Region is one of the driest in the country, similar
to the semi-arid areas of the Brazilian Northeast – about
201 cubic meters per person annually. That is well below
the amount of water recommended by the UN, which is
about 2,500 cubic meters. Even if indirectly, Aquapolo will
help increase the supply of clean water and improve pub-
lic health. “There is no doubt that this is a key venture for
the sustainability of the Greater ABC and Capuava Petro-
chemical Complex,” says Aquapolo Ambiental Operations
Director Guilherme Paschoal.
Sustainability and savings The Aquapolo plant is the largest of its kind in the
Southern Hemisphere and the fifth-largest in the world.
Its most important client is Quattor, a Braskem subsidiary
that will consume over 60% of the project’s production,
but companies like Cabot, Oxiteno, White Martins and
Oxicap, all located at the complex, will also benefit. Be-
sides gaining sustainability, these companies will garner
savings, since reused water costs 30% less than the con-
ventionally treated kind. “This is a pioneering project that
represents a milestone in industrial water use in Brazil,”
said Celso Luiz Tavares Ferreira, Vice President for Basic
Chemicals at Quattor, which reported a 40% production
increase in 2010.
But there’s more. Although the project is focused on
the petrochemical complex, the plant’s capacity will ex-
ceed the current demand. That means there are pros-
pects for more companies and municipalities in the vicin-
ity of the pipeline to benefit from reused water. Through
Aquapolo, everyone stands to gain: businesses, govern-
ments, the public (through maintenance and a possible
increase in the job supply in that region) and the environ-
ment, because the quality of the wastewater disposed of
after industrial use will be better than it is now.
45informa
The Aquapolo project in numbers
• Contract for water supply management for the
Capuava Complex lasting 34 years until 2043
• Industrial water plant with capacity to produce up to
1,000 liters/second of reused water
• 17km pipeline made of 900mm pipe running
through three cities (São Paulo, Santo André and São
Caetano do Sul)
• The industrial complex will no longer consume up to
1.6 billion liters per month of treated drinking water
46 informa
Cetrel ensures environmental sustainability at the Camaçari Industrial Complex
OF SUPPORT
46Cetrel, in Camaçari, Bahia: the company connects and centralizes wastewater treatment for the 90 plants at the industrial park
elem ent
47informa
uilt on one of Brazil’s largest aquifers, the
São Sebastião, the Camaçari Complex – the
nation’s biggest industrial park – would not
be environmentally sustainable if it weren’t
for Cetrel. In studies for the creation of the
complex in the 1970s, it was decided, for the first time in the
country, that instead of each company having its own envi-
ronmental protection system, a single state-owned company
would be responsible for the operations of a collective envi-
ronmental management system. This ensured lower costs
and greater efficiency.
That company was created and called the Central de Eflu-
entes Líquidos do Polo de Camaçari (Cetrel). Today it is Cetrel
S.A., a Braskem subsidiary. Located 45km from Salvador, Ba-
hia, it interconnects and centralizes the wastewater treatment
of all 90 plants at the Northeastern Brazilian industrial park.
At full production, the Camaçari complex consumes 12,000
cu.m/h of water and disposes of approximately 1.2 to 1.5
cu.m/s of treated wastewater through its outfall. That is half
its rated flow capacity.
Cetrel, which operates in partnership with Foz do Brasil
in Camaçari, handles two types of effluents: uncontaminated
water, mostly rainwater, and industrial wastewater contami-
nated by all kinds of organic and inorganic compounds, such
as sulfates, nitrates, ammonia and other products that would
be harmful to the environment if not properly treated.
“This is nothing more than polluted water. Our job is to
treat the effluent thoroughly in order to minimize the risks
when we return it to Nature,” explains Sérgio Tomich, Busi-
ness Development leader for Special Materials and Waste
Management at Cetrel.
Marine outfallDue to the expansion of the complex in the early 1990s,
the construction of an outfall to dispose of wastewater in
the ocean became necessary to ensure good environmen-
tal management. Odebrecht was responsible for that proj-
ect. Before the effluent reaches the sea, 4.8km from the
coast, 97% of biodegradable waste is removed, a rate that
exceeds the requirements of Brazil’s environmental legis-
lation.
“We carried out a monitoring campaign to determine
the conditions in the natural environment before the out-
fall went into operation and after disposal began. We have
signed an agreement with the Federal University at Bahia
and organized two annual monitoring campaigns, issuing
reports assessing the environmental quality in the marine
ecosystem,” explains Eduardo Fontoura, Responsible for
the Laboratory and Monitoring. He points out that: “During
the 17 years of the outfall’s operations, Cetrel has never
had any problems with the community, or with the vigilant
fishermen of Arembepe.” The environmental indicators for
the marine ecosystem are highly positive.
Today, Cetrel is responsible for managing water resourc-
es throughout the industrial park, both groundwater (the
water table and aquifers) and surface water. The company
also conducts georeferencing (monitoring and production)
for over 1,000 wells – essential in a region where several
companies extract mineral water for human consumption.
Sérgio Tomich explains that since Braskem took con-
trol of the company, Cetrel is longer just an “end-of-pipe
manager” and has begun prospecting for new business in
the area where it has recognized expertise. In addition to
the treatment of contaminated wastewater and ocean and
river monitoring, Cetrel also operates pilot water treat-
ment programs for industrial reuse, which the company is
carrying out in partnership with Braskem.
During the COP 16 Conference, held in December 2010
in Mexico, with the main theme of Biodiversity Conserva-
tion, the World Business Council for Sustainable Develop-
ment selected the cases with the best practices for envi-
ronmental sustainability. “The Conservation of Biodiversity
in the Marine Ecosystem in the Area of Influence of the
Cetrel Marine Outfall” was one of the cases selected from
Brazil.
In January 2011, the State of Bahia, Petrobras, and
some industries outside the complex signed a letter of in-
tent to put an end to emissions in Bahia’s Bay of All Saints.
“In addition to these industrial emissions and waste from
the Landulfo Alves oil refinery, almost 90% of domestic
sewage from Camaçari and Dias D’Avila will be connected
to the Cetrel outfall,” says Sérgio Tomich, visibly pleased.
The waters of the largest bay on the South Atlantic thank
them in advance.
written by válbeR CaRvalho
photos by aRtuR iKishima
B elem ent
48 informa
ARguMENT
In the face of water scarcity, the glass may seem half empty. But a closer relationship between business leaders and policy makers to help develop better policies and apply new technologies can tip the balance in the world’s favor
WatErsecurity and
the private sector
48
informa 49
ater insecurity looms as one
of the great challenges of
the twenty-first century, and
it is one that policy makers
and business leaders must
face together. Policy makers recognize that the
private sector must play a major role in building
the water infrastructure for the future and that
technologies developed by leading companies are
critical tools for managing scarce water supplies.
But business leaders must do more to shape the
understanding of how good policies make it pos-
sible for the private sector to invest and to in-
novate.
Public-sector leaders and NGOs have long dom-
inated the debate on water policy, but recently, a
number of progressive companies have started
to focus on how best to effectively manage water.
These companies have begun by paying much more
attention to the water environment in which they
function.
One group of companies has found that grow-
ing water scarcity constitutes a “threat to their so-
cial license to operate.” In response, some have
made large donations to activist groups. Others
have asked for water standards that they can then
meet. The most far-sighted of these companies,
however, recognize that while they have to man-
age water efficiently within their factory, society
needs an equitable, efficiency-stimulating, and
predictable regulatory environment that governs
all water uses. These companies believe that busi-
nesses have useful and legitimate inputs into the
policy-making process, and that good business
practices can guide effective implementation in
the public sector.
A second group of companies is developing
technologies that can enable society to get more
product per drop of water. For example, the de-
velopment of productivity-enhancing seeds and
agricultural technologies. Because agriculture
accounts for more than 80% of water used in the
developing world these innovations are vital for
better water management. Other companies are
developing new technologies for treating water
and wastewater. The cost of desalination will soon
fall to a level where most cities and industries in
coastal areas can turn to it as an important part
of their portfolio of supplies. There are also com-
panies that provide users with just-in-time and
just-what’s-needed information – such as on the
probability of rainfall and on soil moisture – thus
increasing efficiency of water use.
Executives at these companies know that prog-
ress depends on linked advancement in technolo-
gies and policies. They have seen instances where
policy shortcomings mean that existing technolo-
gies that make more efficient use of water are not
being fully employed. This has prompted them
to engage with political leaders to ensure that
key policies are implemented. Corporate lead-
ers highlight examples like the Murray-Darling
Basin, in Australia, where an enabling policy en-
vironment means that a 70% reduction in water
availability has had virtually no impact on the val-
ue of agricultural output.
The glass is thus half full, not least because
progressive business leaders understand that
water scarcity is an issue that will affect their
industries, and their communities, and they are
engaging with policies that help shape solutions.
In turn policy leaders have begun to understand
how the private sector can contribute to more ef-
fective policies and implementation. More busi-
ness and policy leaders need to follow the lead of
their progressive colleagues. That is how we will
secure further development of new technologies,
the formulation of a new generation of water-
management policies and the achievement of a
water-secure world.
John Briscoeis the Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Environmental Engineering at Harvard University in the United States
W
informa
50 informa
“Water-resource management
is one of the world’s greatest
challenges”
John Briscoe
Vald
ir c
ru
z
52
56
58
60
62
64
the following stories are reports on the recent accomplishments of odebrecht organization teams in Brazil and worldwide, and sections on the day-to-day experiences of company members
odebrecht General meeting: the past, present and future come together
Building technician and author Krishnamurti dos anjos is publishing his fifth book
in the Southern Bahia lowlands, young people (literally) build their civic spirit
three young american members discuss their practical experiences with tEo
ooG diversifies its businesses and begins working in the subsea engineering segment
the daily lives of Gabriela rocha, Juliana monteiro and nadja fontes: odebrecht people
&PEOPLENEWS
Southern Bahia Lowlands resident
Denise Batista
informa52
am thankful to the genera-
tions that preceded us, the
people who came before us
and afforded us the conditions to
do what we are doing now. It was
they who consolidated TEO, our
greatest legacy, with which we are
building the present and will build
the future.”
With these words, Marcelo Ode-
brecht, President and CEO of Ode-
brecht S.A., concluded his pre-
sentation at the Odebrecht Annual
General Meeting, held on Decem-
ber 21, 2010, at the Organization’s
Salvador headquarters.
During his hour-long talk, he out-
lined the main achievements of Ode-
brecht’s companies as a whole in
2010, and gave an overview of the Or-
ganization’s current stage of growth.
reflections on a journey
At the Organization’s Annual general Meeting, Marcelo Odebrecht underscores the importance of TEO as the pioneer generations’ greatest legacy
ORgANIzATION
written by JosÉ enRique baRReiRo
photos by beG fiGueiRedo and ÉlCio CaRRiço
“I
informa 53
He highlighted, among other things,
the increasing the number of mem-
bers – Odebrecht is now made up
of about 120,000 people of over 60
nationalities, working around the
world – observing that the number
of members in Brazil grew by 71%
in 2010 (from 45,000 to 78,000).
Marcelo also presented data on
the Organization’s increasingly inter-
national and diversified operations,
underscoring the recent arrival of
Braskem in Mexico, Odebrecht Lat-
in America & Angola in Cuba, Ode-
brecht International in Guinea, and
Odebrecht Oil & Gas in South Korea.
“In the course of these increas-
ingly international and diverse op-
erations, our main challenge is to
continue applying the same, con-
sistent entrepreneurial culture,” he
said. “In that culture, the key word is
trust, because that is what enables
delegation, decentralization, part-
nership and all our other entrepre-
neurial practices.”
Marcelo Odebrecht also under-
scored various projects the Orga-
nization’s companies are carrying
out in the field of Sustainable De-
velopment, which in 2010 benefited
450,000 people in 550 communities.
To continue the Organization’s
growth and achieve its Vision for
2020, he urged the leaders pres-
ent to carry on “dreaming our cli-
ents’ dream, giving them integrated
and innovative solutions and being
the choice of each and every one of
them.”
In the larger picture, Emílio, Marcelo and Norberto Odebrecht, and in this photo, the Annual Meeting plenary session
informa54
Sustainability practices The Odebrecht Annual General
Meeting was attended by sharehold-
ers, members of the Board of Di-
rectors of Odebrecht S.A., advisory
board members and key leaders
of the Organization. The results for
each company were presented by
Maurício Medeiros, from the Ode-
brecht Foundation; José Carlos
Grubisich, from ETH; Paul Altit, from
OR; Fernando Reis, from Foz do
Brasil; Roberto Ramos, from OOG;
Carlos Fadigas, from Braskem,
Henrique Valladares, from Ode-
brecht Energia; Márcio Faria, from
Odebrecht Engenharia Industrial;
Benedicto Júnior, from Odebrecht
Infraestrutura; Luiz Mameri, from
Odebrecht Angola & Latin America;
Euzenando Azevedo, from Odebre-
cht Venezuela and Luiz Rocha, from
Odebrecht International.
The Honorary Chairman of Ode-
brecht S.A., Norberto Odebrecht,
read his annual message, in which
he urged the Organization’s leaders
to increasingly understand and ap-
ply the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial
Technology: “Only then you can take
our Organization to ever-higher lev-
1
7
els of development,” said the founder
of Odebrecht.
Emílio Odebrecht, Chairman of the
Board of Odebrecht S.A., closed the
meeting by reading his annual mes-
sage in which, among other things, he
urged the leaders to give increasing
emphasis to their companies’ Social
Report: “Now, more than ever, we
need to incorporate sustainable prac-
tices, creating value for society and
the communities we serve.”
Family commitment The Organization’s companies also
held their own annual meetings. At
the meeting of the Engineering &
Construction companies, one of the
highlights was the Gathering of Com-
panions, held at Costa do Sauípe on
December 18, bringing together about
300 members’ spouses.
The theme of the meeting was
“Spouses, Family and Career.” Marcelo
informa 55
Odebrecht, a special guest at the event,
gave a talk and answered questions
from the companions. “Family is what’s
most important,” said Marcelo, who
stressed the importance of the fam-
ily’s commitment to striking a balance
between the Odebrecht member’s pro-
fessional and personal fulfillment.
Sany Gomes, Yvana Couri and An-
drea Rabello, all members’ wives,
spoke about their own experiences and
their work with their counterparts in the
countries where they now live, the UAE,
Argentina and Panama, respectively.
Other speakers at the event were
Carla Barreto, Responsible for People
& Organization at Odebrecht S.A., who
presented the Organization’s Vision for
2020; educator and philosopher Mário
Sérgio Cortella, who proposed a reflec-
tion on married life as a process similar
to building a construction project; and
intercultural psychologist Andrea Fuks,
who gave the final talk.
Scenes of the Annual Meeting: 1. Gathering of Companions participants 2. Mário Sérgio Cortella 3. Ticiana Marianetti, Marcos Rabelo and Fernando Reis 4. Sany Gomes 5. Euzenando Azevedo and Henrique Valladares 6. José Carlos Grubisich, Roberto Ramos, Daniel Villar and Paul Altit 7. Valéria Ventura
2 3
4 5
6
informa56
my experiences and you
A building technician, Krishnamurti uses his talent as a writer to share the lessons he has learned
PROFILE: Krishnamurti góes dos Anjos
57
rishnamurti Góes dos An-
jos can be proud of be-
ing gifted with a talent for
numbers and words. He is the offi-
cer Responsible for Planning for the
BA-093 state highway in the Salva-
dor metropolitan area, in northeast-
ern Brazil. A complex system of 257
km of roads being run as a private
concession, it connects the Cama-
çari Petrochemical Complex and its
surroundings to the Port of Aratu
and Salvador. Despite his intense
work schedule, he always makes
time to write. Continuing his writing
career, he published his fifth book,
12 contos e meio poema (12 Stories
and Half a Poem), in early February.
A passion for writing is in his blood.
“My grandfather, Severo dos Anjos,
was the literary editor of A Luva and
the first to publish a poem by Jorge
Amado,” he says.
A Building Technician, Krishnamurti
joined Odebrecht in 1986. He left five
years later, but continued to work with
the Organization as an independent
contractor. That was when he started
writing. Later on, Odebrecht rehired
him. “O viajante” (The Traveler), the
autobiographical story that opens
his new book, describes his experi-
ences in different parts of the world
on company business, including
Angola and Panama.
A voracious reader since his teens,
he sees literature as a mission. “We
should pass on our experiences to
people in a way that somehow helps
make the world become a better
place,” he argues. He is already re-
searching his next book: a historical
novel set in Bahia in 1798, during
the separatist and abolitionist up-
rising known as the Tailors’ Revolt.
Of all the special memories Krish-
namurti cherishes, one that par-
ticularly stands out is his first meet-
ing with Norberto Odebrecht when
Krishnamurti was a young techni-
cal school graduate. “I completely
changed my concept of a leader,”
he admits. That encounter with the
founder of the Odebrecht Organiza-
tion and other significant episodes
in his career are the inspiration for
Krishnamurti’s writing. His writing
and his life.
“We should pass on our experiences to people in a way that somehow helps make the world become a better place”
written by válbeR CaRvalho
photos by máRCio lima K
informa
informa58
cEmEntinG ciVic SPiritThe jobsite environment changes young peoples’ lives in the Southern Lowlands
n the midst of concrete blocks,
cement and sand, Denise Ba-
tista’s bright lipstick and loose
hair attract attention. At the age of 26,
the “pedreirinha” (little bricklayer), as
her classmates affectionately call her,
is not considered vain. She just likes
to stress her femininity. “When I’m in
uniform, I look like a man. I want peo-
ple to see I’m a woman.” A resident
of Igrapiúna, Bahia, she joined the
inaugural class of Building Better – a
project that is part of the Program for
Integrated and Sustainable Develop-
ment of the Mosaic of Environmental
Protection Areas in the Southern Ba-
hia Lowlands (PDIS), established by
the Odebrecht Foundation. The proj-
ect is training multiplier agents for
the local construction industry.
One of the few women among the
43 apprentices in the first two classes
to join the project, Denise had always
been curious about her father’s and
brother’s profession. “I’m crazy about
my job. It’s hard work, but when you
do what you love, it gets easy. That’s
the choice I’ve made,” she says firmly.
According to Christophe Houel, the
project’s Educational Leader, De-
nise’s talent was already clear when
they selected the participants. “Today
it’s more than proven,” he says.
Denise and her classmates are
not only learning to build walls but to
develop their civic spirit. “Our chal-
lenge is to educate people,” observes
Houel. This is the only long-term
course of this kind available in Brazil,
taught in 18 months through the al-
ternance system. The students spend
a week in the classroom learning the
theoretical concepts of computer
science, Portuguese, math, com-
munications, project design, budgets
and career and life plans. During the
following three weeks they are given
access to practical knowledge on a
construction site, under the watchful
eyes of educators, supervisors and
engineers.
Sponsored by Brazil’s Socioeco-
nomic Development Bank (BNDES),
Building Better’s headquarters are
under construction in Valença, Bahia,
on land donated by the city govern-
ment. The project will be completed
by May 2011. The apprentices are
helping build the facility, which will
house carpentry and computing labs,
a building block factory, classrooms
and accommodations. This is just one
of the students’ practical experiences.
Denise Batista, the “little bricklayer”: “I’m crazy about my job”
ODEBRECHT FOuNDATION
written by GabRiela vasConCellos
photo by máRCio lima
I
informa 59
They have also worked in residential
construction on a 65-sq.m area of the
Nova Igrapiúna subdivision, a factory
in the town of Laje, Bahia, and the
headquarters of the School of Military
Instruction, which is being built as
an annex to Youth House State High
School in Igrapiúna, an institution that
is also linked to the PDIS.
Denise Batista has worked on
several projects. Her only complaint
about a week of intense work is getting
plaster under her nails, one of her few
vanities. “This course changed my life.
I started out with no expectations. Now
I have plans and a vision for the future,”
says the “little bricklayer.”
Opportunity Building Better has given rise to
the Construction Cooperative (Coon-
struir), an associated entity formed by
the apprentices, whose pay is based
on their productivity, generating em-
ployment and income. The President
of Coonstruir is an alumnus of the
Youth House State High School. Pe-
dro Rogério da Silva, 25, from Ituberá,
Bahia, learned the trade from his fa-
ther, Raimundo da Silva. “He’s been a
supervisor for 30 years. I was born in
construction.”
Pedro joined the first class of
Building Better. Despite being almost
professional, he wanted to improve
his skills. Even without the sup-
port of his father, who disapproved
of his decision to take time off work
to study, since it would reduce their
income, he decided to keep going.
Today, at the end of the course, he
makes more than BRL 1,500 a month
(almost three times the minimum
monthly salary) and is supervising
construction of the School of Military
Instruction headquarters building.
“My father is proud to see me take
charge of a job all on my own. Now
he wants to work along with me, but
I told him it’s time to retire and get
some rest. It’s my turn at the wheel,”
he says, smiling.
Luan Araújo, 20, shares Pedro Ro-
gério’s dream. “I hope to become a
qualified bricklayer, increase my fam-
ily’s income and give them a better
home,” says the Valença resident,
who is excited to be an apprentice in
the project’s second class.
According to Christophe Houel, the
alliance between Building Better and
Coonstruir is helping improve the qual-
ity of life of the Southern Bahia Low-
lands. “We want to provide infrastruc-
ture for the region. At the same time,
we have to groom multipliers for the
construction industry. We are helping
many people to get out of a vulnerable
situation.”
Dream House The first Building Better class be-
gan its activities in June 2009 and grad-
uated in January 2011. Challenged to
present a project that summed up
all the knowledge they had acquired,
the apprentices developed the Dream
House. The idea is to give a Southern
Bahia Lowlands family the gift of a
decent home. “We developed every
step of the project, from the design
of the blueprints to a study of the
materials required. We split up into
teams and went out into the field to
interview people. Another part of the
group looked for sponsors. We’ll do
all the work, and our local partners
will donate the materials,” says De-
nise Batista, who helped devise this
initiative.
The chosen family has lived in a
mud house for 20 years. The young
builders are waiting for the Igrapiúna
government to issue the construction
permit before they break the news.
“I’ve always told them they would be
the builders of other people’s dreams.
This project proves it. It is the result
of being groomed for civic life,” says
Laís Freire, Pedagogical Coordinator
of Building Better.
A new class will get started in May
2011. To be part of Building Better,
applicants must be between 18 and
26 years old. “We don’t want people
who already have skills and experi-
ence, because our challenge is to
provide opportunities for everyone,”
emphasizes Christophe Houel.
Building Better’s sponsors:
• Odebrecht Foundation
• BNDES
• Senai (National Industrial Education Service)
• Sesi (Social Service for Industry)
• Michelin
• Igrapiúna County
• City of Valença
• Construction Cooperative
• Banco do Nordeste do Brasil
• State of Bahia Construction Union
• Caixa Econômica Federal
informa60
TEO Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology
it’s our philosophyJeff, Chris and Hal, three young American engineers, have made TEO part of their lives
written by Renata pinheiRo
informa 61
he experience of living the
Odebrecht Entrepreneurial
Technology (TEO) depends
on how it is understood, accepted
and practiced every day. Here is an
example from the USA of how three
young people are making TEO their
philosophy of work and life.
Jeff Willis, 24, is a member of the
team that is building the pumping sta-
tions that are part of the levee system
protecting New Orleans from floods.
He joined Odebrecht almost three
years ago. His first contact with TEO
made him somewhat leery. When he
heard he would be fully
responsible for his action
program, he thought it
was just a way to lure him
to the company fresh out
of college. He was about
to graduate from New
Orleans’s Tulane Uni-
versity as a mechanical
engineer. But his views
on planned delegation
and responsibility soon
changed. His first day on
the job, he was handed
a set of blueprints, as-
sured that he would have
constant support and in-
formed that he would be responsible
for everything involving the project’s
mechanical engineering.
At the first coordination meeting,
Jeff felt the full weight of the respon-
sibility he had been delegated when
he had to answer questions on the
subject and discuss certain issues.
He says he now understands the im-
portance of delegation for his own
education. “When things are done
right, you build up trust and you’re
given more responsibilities.” He re-
calls that because he felt responsible
for a task, he made every effort to
learn, ask questions and do the job
right. Jeff believes that, in order to
grow, we must take full responsibility
for our work.
Christopher Conerly, 26, tells a
similar story. An engineer with a de-
gree in construction management,
he believes that confidence in people
is a decisive factor for professional
growth. When he joined the com-
pany, he was also a recent graduate
(from the University of Louisiana),
and started out on the quality team
for the construction and expansion
of levees on Lake Cataouache in
New Orleans. He soon realized that
his leaders trusted him to get the job
done right. According to Chris, that
sunk in when he heard that one of
his responsibilities was direct com-
munication with the client, the US
Army Corps of Engineers. They often
contacted the contractor to discuss
issues related to the quality of the
work. He was surprised. Chris says
that, for him, this was one of the first
things that proved that Odebrecht is
really different, and that everything
he had read in books on TEO is actu-
ally applied on a daily basis.
“Communication with the client
is extremely important, and being
entrusted with that task helped me
realize that my relationship with my
leaders is based on trust.”
Greg Newman, 26, is better known
to his co-workers as Hal. The concept
of education through work, which
he heard about when he was a stu-
dent at the University of Louisiana,
immediately sparked his interest
in Odebrecht. Hal says that his first
job, the Lake Chalmette levee (he
is now working on the
construction of a 5.4km
retaining wall), was a
tremendous learning
experience. His direct
involvement in finan-
cial and management
programs on a real-life
project have taught him
important lessons that
have put him in a po-
sition to confront and
overcome growing chal-
lenges.
“My leader used to
spend hours explain-
ing the ‘why’ of things,
how should we manage costs and
strategies. That type of interaction is
priceless,” says Hal. An engineer with
a degree in construction manage-
ment, he feels that continuous learn-
ing has been crucial for his growth,
and there is no better place for that
than the jobsite. “That project was an
education for me. It helped me learn
about all aspects of a contract.” Hal
believes that people development is
a long-term investment. “Everyone
wants the responsibility to grow. I’m
doing my best.”
“My leader used to spend hours explaining the ‘why’ of things, how we should manage costs and strategies. That type of interaction is priceless.”
Hal Newman
T
62 informa
SuBSEA ENgINEERINg
Odebrecht Oil & Gas (OOG)
is diversifying its business.
On November 30, 2010, it
formed a joint venture with Acergy, a
company that recently merged with
Subsea 7 (and will adopt that name),
for the construction and installation
of a 150km subsea gas pipeline in
the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo
for Petrobras.
The joint venture will be respon-
sible for project management, engi-
neering, purchasing, manufacturing
and logistics. The contract for these
services is valued at USD 90 million.
Diving services, including people
and equipment, installation of the
pipeline and pre-commissioning ac-
tivities for the system will be the sole
responsibility of Subsea 7.
Petrobras is supplying the pipe,
which the joint venture will trans-
port to the Port of São Sebastião, São
Paulo. From there, barges will tow it to
the site where the pipeline will be in-
stalled. The beginning of that stage is
planned for the end of this year. “Our
work on this project involves manage-
ment. There will be about 60 profes-
sionals at work,” says OOG Project
Manager Eduardo Lavigne. By the end
of the 18-month contract, the project
will have created about 450 direct work
opportunities for Brazilians and for-
eign nationals because of the number
of equipment suppliers involved.
taking the plungeOdebrecht Oil & gas diversifies its businesses and starts working in the subsea segment
written by edilson lima
63informa
Pre-salt layer is growing demand Since the discovery of the pre-
salt layer in Brazil, the demand for
subsea engineering services has
been growing year by year. Accord-
ing to studies by UBS (a global
company based in Switzerland that
conducts research and provides fi-
nancial services), the pre-salt layer
will require investments of approxi-
mately USD 600 billion. An estimat-
ed 30% of that amount will go to the
subsea market. The term “subsea”
covers services and facilities for
the underwater structures respon-
sible for oil and gas exploration and
production between the seabed and
the surface. According to Petrobras’s
investment plan, that company will
invest USD 108 billion in oil explora-
tion and production by 2014. Rough-
ly USD 40 billion of that amount is
for the subsea segment.
OOG’s decision to enter this new
business resulted from the dream
of participating in a highly qualified
market that is currently dominated
by foreign companies. Based on
Odebrecht’s experience of over 30
years in offshore operations, the
company began a detailed analy-
sis of the market in late 2009, and
mounted an action strategy that
included the search for a technol-
ogy partner that would add value to
OOG’s work.
“Subsea 7 is a company with a
long track record in the subsea
engineering market. We have no
doubt that this journey together
will be a tremendous learning ex-
perience,” says OOG Project Direc-
tor Ricardo Viana.
As a result, OOG is now the
first Brazilian company to invest
effectively in the subsea market,
competing with the major global
players in that segment. “Being
a pioneer has advantages, but it
also involves tackling fresh chal-
lenges. We intend to carve out
our space in the market without
neglecting business security,” ob-
serves Ricardo Viana, adding that:
“The subsea engineering market
is a tremendous opportunity to
serve our clients and contribute
to the development of Brazilian
workers.”
informa64
Time for (self-) transformation
Brazilian
psycholo-
gist with a degree
from Boston Col-
lege in the United States, Gabriela Rocha, 25, has been a
member of the Odebrecht Corporate Social Responsibil-
ity Team in Peru since January 2008. At first, she coor-
dinated sustainable development projects for the South
Interoceanic Highway. She has lived in the Andes, almost
4,000 meters above sea level, along with indigenous com-
munities. She fell in love with their strong, well-preserved
ancestral culture and the colors and contrasts of Peru.
Now she provides support for projects in the areas of So-
cial Programs and Climate Change. “I’ve changed a lot
these last three years,” says Gabriela. “Today I fully be-
lieve in the power of business to transform the economic
situation of a region and benefit the needy.”
gabriela helps improve the lives of Peruvian communities
uliana Monteiro, 31, was born in Cachoeiro do
Itapemirim, Espírito Santo, in eastern Brazil, but
grew up in the state capital, Vitória, where she went to
high school. Then she studied civil engineering in Rio de
Janeiro. She graduated from college in 2002 and moved
to São Paulo, where she still lives today. Juliana works out
at the gym almost every day and loves to go out with her
husband, Sandro Gamba, and friends. Travel is another
hobby. Whenever she can, she goes to Vitória to visit her
parents and enjoy the local cuisine. The engineer joined
Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias (OR) in 2006 as the of-
ficer Responsible for the Alpha Square project. From 2009
to 2010, she helmed two other real estate ventures: Al-
pha Park and The One. Her outstanding performance led
to her promotion to Project Director in January, making
her the first woman to hold that position at the company:
“Women are taking on and overcoming fresh challenges in
our society,” she says.
Juliana is OR’s first female Project Director
A Brazilian woman’s pioneer spirit
n February 2, the feast day for the sea, Nadja
Silva Fontes, marked 13 years at Braskem. She
is an engineer specialized in Automation and Process
Control and is completing an MBA at the Getúlio Vargas
Foundation (FGV). A native of Salvador in the Brazilian
state of Bahia, Nadja joined the company as a trainee
in 1998. She is currently responsible for the Olefins Pro-
cess Engineering team at Basic Petrochemicals Unit I
in Camaçari, Bahia. “At work, what I enjoy most is con-
tributing to the continuous improvement of plants to
ensure a better work environment and people’s profes-
sional growth,” she says. And after work? Then Nadja
likes to relax, and she enjoys that too: she loves to go
to the beach with her family and hike the trails with
friends.
PEOPLE
From the industrial plant to beaches and trails
Nadja balances her dedication to work and play
J
A
O
Founded in 1944, Odebrecht is a Brazilian organization made up of diversified businesses with global operations and world-class standards of quality. Its 120,000 members are present in the Americas, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Europe.
Next issue:People
Development
reSPONSIbLe FOr cOrPOrAte cOMMUNIcAtION At cONStrUtOrA NOrbertO Odebrecht S.A. Márcio Polidoro
reSPONSIbLe FOr PUbLIcAtIONS PrOGrAMS At cONStrUtOrA NOrbertO Odebrecht S.A. Karolina Gutiez
bUSINeSS AreA cOOrdINAtOrS Nelson Letaif Chemicals & Petrochemicals | Andressa Saurin Ethanol & Sugar | Bárbara Nitto Oil & Gas | Daelcio Freitas Environmental Engineering | Sergio Kertész Real Estate Developments | Coordinator at Odebrecht Foundation Vivian Barbosa
edItOrIAL cOOrdINAtION Versal Editores editor-in-chief José Enrique Barreiroexecutive editor Cláudio Lovato Filho english translation by H. Sabrina GledhillArt/Graphic Production Rogério NunesGraphic design and Illustrations Rico LinsPhoto editor Holanda Cavalcantielectronic Publishing Maria Celia Olivieri
Printing 1,600 copies | Pre-Press and Printing Pancrom
edItOrIAL OFFIceS Rio de Janeiro +55 21 2239-1778 | São Paulo + 55 11 3641- 4743email: [email protected] Originally published in Portuguese. Also available in Spanish.
“People’s most important asset is their spirit, because that is what
confers character and the desire to serve, as well as the strength to create, innovate and produce
for the benefit of others”
TEO [Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology]
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