Track Record

The background and know how within the environmental and energy sectors was introduced by founder and chairman, Horácio Carvalho, a well known Portuguese industrialist, following a strategy to internationalise the business.

Horácio Carvalho initially founded Group HLC in 1986 in Portugal with the main goal of developing and participating in projects within the environment, energy, healthcare, multimedia and telecommunications business sectors, as well as providing operations and maintenance services within these areas.

One of the critical factors that enabled HLC to achieve these goals at the time was its visionary human resources strategy, which revolved around employing highly experienced professionals in each of the specialist areas and thereby providing resources and skills recognised by the market and enabling it to establish its presence in the market.

Frielas WWTP

In the environment sector HLC retains an enviable track record, especially in Portugal, where it has made a strong contribution to the country’s infrastructure in the waste & water sectors through the inception of various projects throughout the country and thereby allowing it to achieve standards very close to the levels of other European community countries (EU15).

HLC’s role in this field tracked its specialisation in these activity areas, undertaking the design, commissioning, management and operation of various types of projects, such as integrated waste management plants, landfills, composting plants, waste transfer stations, bring bank sites, dumps closure and waste water treatment plants.

In the energy sector, HLC was one of the companies responsible for the introduction of natural gas in Portugal, through the conception and promotion of the project finance for the Tapada do Outeiro thermal power plant (Turbogas) with a 30% participation in this project. It also established a partnership with PLE-Pipeline Engineering Gmbh and Transgas SA for the project management and supervision of the high pressure gas pipeline.

HLC’s experience in the energy sector, both in Portugal and Brazil was established via the participation in energy projects under a BOT/BOOT strategy with a financial structure in project finance and the introduction of several combined heat and power (CHP) plants for electric power under 10 MW.

Amadora-Sintra Hospital

In the health sector, HLC in consortium with the Mello Group was responsible for the introduction of privatization in the sector, through the introduction of the delegation of private health services in public hospitals by winning the bid for the Fernando da Fonseca Hospital-Amadora-Sintra.

In the telecommunications sector, HLC was the first private company to obtain licenses allowing it to operate in this sector.

HLC’s growth in these sectors occurred in the period comprised between 1996 and 2003. It was at this time that it also undertook its strategy of internationalisation into the UK and Brazil.

In the UK, HLC focused its expertise in the environment sector and developed one of the first waste to energy (WtE) plants in the country, based in Neath Port Talbot in South Wales. This plant was developed as a materials recovery, composting and energy production through refuse derived fuel (RDF) plant.

Through the purchase of Henley Burrowes in 1998, HLC also gained a significant market presence in the waste sector in the UK, as this company held a vast track record in this industry, having a significant amount of projects developed within the waste sector.

In Brazil HLC focused its know how and expertise in the energy sector. Through CGE-Ceara Geradora de Energis SA, a company where HLC owned 51%, it developed a total of 127 MW of installed power in response to the emergency power program for the northeast state of Ceara in Brazil. At the request of the government, these power plants were later transferred to the state of Manaus to supply the region with electricity. HLC also developed several CHP plants for electric power under 10 MW throughout several states in Brazil.

HLC EH’s current strategy in the biofuels, climate change and renewable energy sectors was developed in 2003 and is today showing considerable promise in these new sectors, with a series of successful projects in these areas currently under various stages of development.