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Billion-Dollar Investment in Pulp in Rio Grande do Sul Advances with Factory in Barra do Ribeiro, Owned Terminal at Porto de Rio Grande and Promises of Thousands of Jobs, While Environmental Licensing is Under Review and the Package of Logistical Works Enters Planning to Support Export Scale.
The Chilean multinational CMPC plans to install a megafactory for pulp in Barra do Ribeiro, in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, promising up to 12 thousand jobs during construction and an annual production target of 2.5 million tons of eucalyptus pulp.
The project still depends on environmental licensing but already includes a new terminal at Porto de Rio Grande for export and a package of logistical improvements, in a bet that could become the largest private investment ever announced in the state.
Pulp Megafactory in Barra do Ribeiro and Announced Capacity
The industrial plant was presented as part of the so-called Nature Project, which foresees the manufacture of bleached eucalyptus pulp in a town of about 12.5 thousand inhabitants, with expected effects primarily on employment, services, and local infrastructure.
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In public communications from the state government and the company itself, the investment value appears with variations over time, fluctuating between R$ 24 billion in the initial announcement and figures reaching R$ 27 billion in more recent disclosures.
During the execution of the works, the expectation shared is for approximately 12 thousand jobs, while the operation, once completed, is estimated to generate about 1.5 thousand direct jobs, plus indirect hiring related to transportation and services.
The letter of intent between CMPC and the government of Rio Grande do Sul was signed in April 2024, a step that opened the way for technical studies and installation negotiations, without representing automatic authorization to start the works.
Preliminary License at Fepam and Steps of Environmental Licensing
The implementation of the unit depends on the analysis by the State Environmental Protection Foundation, Fepam, responsible for evaluating the studies and issuing the preliminary license, which is the first formal decision in the licensing process for projects of this size.
According to information released by the state government in hearings and official communications, the project is still in the analysis phase for the preliminary license, a step that also involves public participation, the presentation of technical documents, and impact assessment.
In environmental materials released in the context of the process, there is an indication that capacity may reach up to 3 million tons per year, while the most cited target in public announcements is 2.5 million, a difference that depends on the final configuration approved.
CMPC itself has indicated that the definitive investment decision, with internal board review, should occur after the progress of licensing and the consolidation of the project design, which places execution contingent on the next authorizations.
Terminal at Porto de Rio Grande for Pulp Export
The export strategy includes a new dedicated terminal at Porto de Rio Grande, formalized by a concession contract with a term of 25 years, and an announced investment of R$ 1.5 billion, aimed at shipping pulp produced in the state.
The terminal project foresees two docking berths and a warehouse with a capacity of 194 thousand tons of pulp, designed to scale up outflow and reduce logistical bottlenecks in a product highly dependent on ports.
The estimates released for the terminal indicate more than 1.2 thousand jobs in the implementation phase and, in operation, around 450 direct positions and over 2 thousand indirect jobs, numbers reported in official announcements related to the contract signing.
“This area, which has been completely stopped since 2014, will now transform into a space for transporting pulp”.
“In the coming years, we will see a significant transformation in the economic situation of Rio Grande do Sul stemming from this project”.
Infrastructure Works on Federal Highways and Traffic Logistics in RS
The letter of intent and public discussions regarding the project mention countermeasures and infrastructure needs, such as plans for duplicating highway sections and improvements to support the flow of trucks, equipment, and industrial supplies.
Among the points cited is the duplication of 376 kilometers of BR-290, between Eldorado do Sul and Rosário do Sul, in addition to the completion of the duplication of the southern stretch of BR-116, measures aimed at reducing travel time and increasing safety.
As these are federal highways, the progress of these works depends on coordination with the Union and specific hiring schedules, which means part of the logistical planning is tied to decisions outside the direct control of the municipality.
CMPC Presence in Brazil and Operation in Guaíba
Founded in 1920, CMPC is a Chilean group in the forestry sector, operating in pulp, hygiene products, and packaging, and has had a presence in Brazil since 2009, when it expanded its industrial and forestry operations in Rio Grande do Sul.
In the state, the company maintains a unit in Guaíba, and institutional communications from the government and the company describe operations in different regions of the country, as well as international activities with thousands of employees, in a multinational production and logistics structure.
Um absurdo ! Voltamos ao ” venham poluir aqui ” em nome desenvolvimento para quem ? . Não aprenderam nada com a catástrofe climática no RS? Esse monstrengo vai gastar e poluir as águas do Guaíba e não vai gerar empregos fixos, e sim temporários e de baixos salários. É um cavalo de Tróia que traz como “presente” a maior destruição que esse estado já teve , começando com a devastação com monoculturas de eucalipto, que seca os nossos lençóis freáticos, em plena falência hídrica do globo decretada pela ONU. Esse projeto é um afronta ao direito ao ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado para mantermos nossa saúde . Onde está a justiça?
É triste espero que nnão aitorizem este tipo de empresa poluifora para acabar com nossa fauna, flora e nossos rios.
Lá vem mais uma empresa gigante de fora para ajudar á destruir a nossa natureza é mais uma para acabar com nossa fauna e flora pois esse tipo de empresa só suga e tbm e acaba com nossos aquiferos subterraneos.
É triste 😢