PaperAge Magazine

Suzano Announces Investment Plan for 2020, Includes Construction of 2.2 Million TPY Pulp Mill

Suzano Suzano will begin to manage, through its subsidiaries, approximately 100,000 hectares of land and a Construction License for a pulp mill with annual production capacity of 2.2 million tons per year.

Dec. 30, 2019 - Suzano [on Dec. 12] announced its investment plan for 2020. The company will invest R$4.4 billion in maintaining and expanding its business. The amount planned for the year includes around R$200 million in expenditures that already were budgeted for in its capital expenditure plan for 2019.

The investments in maintenance planned for 2020 will amount to R$3.6 billion, while investments in expansion and modernization projects will require approximately R$300 million. The investments in projects involving the acquisition and/or formation of lands and forests will amount to R$400 million. Meanwhile, the ongoing projects at the ports in the states of Sao Paulo and Maranhao (Brazil) will consume approximately R$100 million over the coming year.

Construction of New Pulp Mill

Suzano also announced that it will begin to manage, through its subsidiaries, approximately 100,000 hectares of land and a Construction License for a pulp mill with annual production capacity of 2.2 million tons per year, located in the Ribas do Rio Pardo region of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The assets, which already are recognized in the balance sheet, are strategically important for ensuring future options for growing the pulp business. In the short term, the company will continue to prioritize deleveraging, in accordance with its Debt Policy.

As an integral part of its plan for financial deleveraging through the divestment of non-operational assets, the company also announced to the market the signing of an agreement with Klabin for the sale of standing eucalyptus timber located on 14,000 hectares in the southern area of Sao Paulo state. The transaction is worth approximately R$400 million.

“With these series of transactions, we reaffirm our commitment to financial discipline, while securing new growth options for our company,” said Marcelo Bacci, Chief Financial and Investor Relations Officer.

Suzano is one of the largest integrated eucalyptus pulp and paper producers in Latin America. With operations in nearly 60 countries, Suzano is the world's second largest producer of eucalyptus pulp, one of the ten largest producers of market pulp, and the regional market leader in paper for domestic and commercial use. To learn more, please visit: www.suzano.com.br.

SOURCE: Suzano S.A.