Companhia de Saneamento Municipal

What Companhia de Saneamento Municipal does

Companhia de Saneamento Municipal (Cesama) is the municipal water and sewage utility of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil, structured as a mixed-economy company (sociedade de economia mista) wholly owned by the municipality and operating under a regulated concession. It supplies potable water to approximately 96% of the urban population — covering 540,756 inhabitants via 164,444 active connections — and provides sewage collection services to 99% of the urban footprint through 161,059 connections, with sewage treatment coverage reaching approximately 50% as of 2025. The service territory is bounded entirely by the municipal boundary of Juiz de Fora.

The utility's operating backbone comprises 6 water treatment stations, 5 sewage treatment plants, 93 reservoirs totaling 50,275 m³ of storage, 167 pumping stations, and four primary water sources: Barragem de Chapéu d'Uvas (146 million m³), Dr. João Penido reservoir (~16 billion liters), and the São Pedro and Ribeirão do Espírito Santo systems. Average production is 1,626 liters per second (≈4.27 million m³ per month), with reported system-level water losses of 35.5% over January–August 2022.

Cesama's revenue model is subscription-based and tariff-regulated by Arisb-MG (Agência Reguladora Intermunicipal de Saneamento Básico de Minas Gerais). Monthly bills are tiered across five customer categories — Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Public, and a Social Tariff for qualifying low-income users — and are collected via a multi-channel distribution footprint that includes a physical customer-service agency, a virtual online agency, a telephone contact center, WhatsApp (launched 2024), partner-bank direct debit, and field service teams. Ancillary revenue is generated through bulk water sales to truck operators and service fees. Tariff levels are reset through periodic regulatory review by Arisb-MG.

Name

Companhia de Saneamento Municipal

Legal name

Companhia de Saneamento Municipal

Website

https://cesama.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Companhia de Saneamento Municipal (Cesama) is the municipal water and sewage utility of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil, serving 540,000+ inhabitants via 164,000+ connections under a regulated, subscription-based tariff model supervised by Arisb-MG.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Sewage Utilities

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320), Utilities (221)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Municipal Wastewater Collection (Sewer Networks) (BPALAMAA), Industrial Water Reuse Utilities (ZLD/MLD & Process Water Recycling) (EUANAGAG)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Sewage collection treatment
• Municipal sanitation services
• Water supply distribution
• Wastewater treatment plants

Headquarters

HQ city

Juiz De Fora

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Water Supply Tariffs: Monthly tariffs for water supply based on consumption, regulated by Arisb-MG. Tiered pricing structure with categories for residential, commercial, industrial, public, and mixed use properties.
2. Sewage Collection and Treatment Tariffs: Monthly tariffs for sewage collection services, typically charged alongside water supply. Rates regulated by Arisb-MG.
3. Social Tariff: Reduced tariff for low-income users, established 12 years before federal legislation required it. Law 12.455/2011 institutionalized social tariff in Juiz de Fora.
4. Water Sales to Third Parties: Sale of water to private parties or companies with own transport (water trucks). Minimum commercial tariff applies.
5. Service Fees: Fees for services including meter connections, reconnection, meter verification, technical certificates, and debt restructuring. Non-tariff services priced per Resolution 214/2022 Arisb-MG.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Companhia de Saneamento Municipal (Cesama) is the municipal water and sewage utility for Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It produces and distributes treated potable water through six water production systems and five sewage treatment plants, serving approximately 96% of the urban population with water and 99% with sewage collection. The company also provides related services such as hydrometer management, water quality monitoring, customer connections, and the R$130+ million Rio Paraibuna depollution infrastructure program.

Product overview

Companhia de Saneamento Municipal (Cesama) provides essential public sanitation services for the municipality of Juiz de Fora, MG, operating as a single unified utility service rather than a modular platform. The core offering comprises potable water supply (serving 96% of the 540,756 urban residents) and sewage collection and treatment (99% coverage). Supporting services include water quality monitoring, hydrometer management, meter reading, connection services, and customer service channels (phone, in-person, WhatsApp, and virtual agency). The company also operates environmental programs including the Rio Paraibuna Depollution Project (R$130+ million investment) and cultural initiatives such as the Coral Cesama choir and Gattus Pingadus theater group. The Social Tariff Program provides subsidized rates for low-income residents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of urban population with access to treated water
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SABESP (Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Cesama entered into Contract nº 044/2025 with SABESP for pre-qualification of suppliers and products (Atestado de Pré-Qualificação - APQ). SABESP certification confirms materials and equipment meet required technical and normative standards. This certification can be used in Cesama's procurement processes, providing greater security and reliability regarding quality and performance of products.

Scale indicators26 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Copasa (Companhia de Saneamento de Minas Gerais): State-level water and sewage utility serving the same state of Minas Gerais. Closest comparable in scale, regulatory environment (AGB Peixe Vivo/MG regulators), and service mix, with a long history of municipal-level concessions in cities across the state including potential overlap with Cesama's territory.
• Águas do Rio: Private water and sewage concessionaire in Rio de Janeiro state, formed from the privatization of Cedae assets. Comparable mid-sized Brazilian municipal water concession with focus on loss reduction and infrastructure renewal.
• BRK Ambiental: Major private Brazilian water and sewage operator with municipal concessions in numerous cities. Comparable water/sewage service portfolio and concession-based business model, with deeper private-sector operating practices.
• Corsan (Companhia Riograndense de Saneamento): State water utility of Rio Grande do Sul, recently taken private. Directly comparable on the dimensions of municipal/state concession structure, water loss reduction programs, and capex-heavy asset base.
• Cedae (Companhia Estadual de Águas e Esgotos do Rio de Janeiro): Rio de Janeiro state water utility currently undergoing concession restructuring. Matches Cesama's integrated water/sewage utility model and provides reference for privatization and concession dynamics in Brazil.
• SABESP (Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo): Brazil's largest state water utility, recently a direct partner of Cesama via Contract 044/2025 for supplier pre-qualification (APQ). Operates the same regulated water/sewage concession model at larger scale, providing a benchmark for operations, tariffs, and capex execution.
• Iguá Saneamento: Private Brazilian water utility operating under concession contracts in multiple municipalities. Comparable business model (water + sewage) and target market (municipal concessions), with a more diversified geographic footprint.
• Aegea Saneamento: Large private Brazilian water utility with concessions across multiple states. Comparable direct service offerings and concession model, and a benchmark for private-sector efficiency versus municipal utility operations.
• Sanepar (Companhia de Saneamento do Paraná): State water and sewage utility of Paraná, listed on B3. Comparable in service scope (water + sewage), regulatory model (state-level regulator), and capital intensity of network expansion programs.
• Embasa (Empresa Baiana de Águas e Saneamento): Bahia state water and sewage utility. Same business model (full water + sewage cycle), same regulatory oversight by a state-level agency, and similar mid-sized Brazilian utility footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/juizdefora.cesama
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/companhia-de-saneamento-municipal---cesama/?viewAsMember=true
• Xx.com/cesamajf

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Companhia de Saneamento Municipal