CMPC Announces Intention to Build 2.5 Million TPY Pulp Mill in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

CMPC's comprehensize project includes a new pulp mill, road infrastructure works, and the development of a new port terminal in Rio Grande, as well as an expansion of the port terminal currently in use.

April 30, 2024 - CMPC on April 29 signed an agreement with the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) on a protocol of intentions to move forward in the evaluation of a comprehensive project, which will include a new pulp mill, located 15 kilometers from the city of Barra do Ribeiro in Rio Grande do Sul.

The project, called Natureza, has an integral scope that combines industrialization, road and port infrastructure, sustainable associative forestry, conservation and cultural promotion, and involves the construction of a pulp mill with the capacity to produce up to 2.5 million tons per year of bleached short-fiber kraft pulp (BHKP) — with the possibility of subsequent expansion — in accordance with the highest world standards of environmental protection, efficiency and quality.

In line with the agreed protocol, CMPC has submitted permit applications for various monitoring activities of the Fundacao Estadual de Protecao Ambiental Henrique Luis Roessler (FEPAM), a technical agency of the Rio Grande do Sul State Environmental Protection System. Thus, specialized teams will be able to carry out the technical studies and environmental assessments required for the final preparation of the industrial project which, if all permits and authorizations are obtained, will be submitted to CMPC Board of Directors in mid-2026.

If the project is approved, it would imply an investment of approximately US$4 billion for the new industrial unit, in addition to US$420 million in various road infrastructure works and US$150 million for the development of a new port terminal in Rio Grande, as well as an expansion of the port terminal currently in use. It is not possible at this stage, to determine the economic impact of this decision, CMPC said in a written statement.

CMPC produces pulp, paper, tissue and paper products, which it sells locally and exports. With headquarters in Chile, CMPC currently has operations in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador.

SOURCE: CMPC