The Woodrow Wilson Center’s Brazil Institute and the Brazil – U.S. Business Council hosted “A Private Sector Perspective on Brazil’s Energy and Infrastructure Challenge”

The execution of ambitious state and federal plans to expand energy and infrastructure capacity is at the center of Brazil’s current challenge to achieve higher and sustainable rates of economic growth. The State of São Paulo, which is home to the bulk of the country’s private sector companies and produces a third of Brazil’s GDP is at the center of the effort.  On July 10, the Wilson Center’s Brazil Institute and the Brazil-US Business Council hosted a Roundtable Discussion with Carlos Cavalcanti, director of energy and infrastructure at the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP).

Mr. Cavalcanti provided an overview of energy and infrastructure markets and policy in Brazil, including infrastructure integration in South America, the impact of the sustainability agenda, and implications of these issues on Brazilian foreign policy. Carlos Cavalcanti is the director of FIESP’s infrastructure department, which includes FIESP’s energy portfolio. He is also the vice president of FIESP’s Councils on Infrastructure and International Trade.

FIESP is the leading regional manufacturing sector organization in Brazil and the largest Brazilian state-level federation of industries. It is composed of 131 sectorial employers unions representing approximately 150,000 companies.

The Brazil Institute seeks to foster dialogue on key issues of bilateral concern between Brazil and the United States, advance Washington's understanding of contemporary Brazilian developments, and promote detailed analysis of Brazil's public policy. 

Brazil-U.S. Business Council's is the premier business advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening the bilateral economic and commercial relationship.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Mancio7B9