Chile's CMPC obtains preliminary environmental license for BRL 27 billion pulp project in Brazil

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 22, the Environmental Protection Foundation of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, issued a preliminary environmental license to the "Nature Project" planned by Chilean forestry and pulp company CMPC, and formally delivered it on the 23rd. The project plans to build a bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp mill with an annual capacity of 3 million tons in Barra do Ribeiro, Brazil, with a total planned investment of BRL 27 billion. This license confirms the environmental feasibility of the project at the planning stage; subsequent construction still requires an installation license.

The new mill will adopt the Kraft pulping process, equipped with a recovery boiler and energy system. The project plans to recover energy from black liquor generated during the pulping process, with the electricity generated prioritized to meet the mill's production needs and the surplus power intended for sale to Brazil's national grid. Some sludge and by-products generated during production are also planned to be processed into commercial fertilizer, and green buffer zones will be established around the plant area.

The project's logistics system includes land transport facilities for wood and chemicals, as well as a waterway connecting to the Port of Rio Grande. CMPC plans to invest approximately BRL 1.5 billion in building a dedicated pulp export terminal at the Port of Rio Grande, along with port facilities for receiving logs and transporting pulp by barge. This preliminary environmental license also covers the mill and related waterway terminal facilities.

Under the current construction plan, the mill is expected to require up to 12,000 workers at peak construction. After commissioning, it plans to provide approximately 800 direct jobs and 1,500 long-term third-party service positions. A public hearing on the environmental impact assessment was held on January 29, 2026, and the collection of related comments has been completed. With the preliminary environmental license obtained, CMPC will continue to refine the engineering design, environmental protection measures, and installation license application documents, and will commence construction after approval by the competent authority.