CMPC’s New Factory Project Depends on Solving Logistics Bottleneck in Rio Grande

As CMPC, the Chilean multinational, works to finalize contracts for wood supply for its planned new pulp mill, it urgently needs to address a crucial logistics issue to confirm its R$ 24 billion investment. The Natureza CMPC project relies on resolving a logistical problem related to pulp export. The company has expressed interest to the state government in participating in a public tender to operate a terminal at the Port of Rio Grande. It is waiting for the Union Property Secretariat (SPU) to transfer the area to the state government so that the bidding process can proceed.

“Without this terminal, we cannot proceed with the investment. It is crucial for us,” says Antonio Lacerda, General Director of CMPC’s Guaíba unit.

Lacerda explains that the process of transferring the area to the state is underway in Brasília, with support from Governor Eduardo Leite and Secretary of Economic Development Ernani Polo. “These issues need to be resolved so that we can get final approval from the company,” Lacerda adds.

Expectations

The project is expected to create around 12,000 jobs during construction and an additional 1,500 direct and indirect jobs once operational. The new facility will have an annual production capacity of 2.5 million tons of bleached eucalyptus pulp. It will use modern industrial technologies to enhance the company’s competitiveness and maintain high environmental and social standards in Brazil. Ernani Polo, head of the Secretariat for Economic Development (Sedec), is overseeing the situation.

“In my last two visits to Brasília, I attended meetings at the SPU to discuss the progress of this issue. We hope to resolve it this month,” Polo said.

Currently, 20% of the wood is transported by waterways to CMPC’s Guaíba unit. For the new project, planned for Barra do Ribeiro with a capacity of 2.5 million tons annually, the company estimates that up to 30% of the raw material will be transported by the same method, while 100% of the pulp produced will be exported by waterways. Recent floods in May silted the Lago Guaíba channel, requiring the company to invest in clearing it again. “We cleared the channel two years ago, and we now need to do it again, costing R$ 10 million,” Lacerda reports.

Source: Correio do Povo 

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