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The ethanol plant was paralyzed due to low sugarcane productivity in the region, as well as a deficit in the supply of the product. Raízen pointed out that production at Santa Helena should remain at a standstill for another 2 years, as planned.
The projections for the future of the Santa Helena da Raízen plant for this Wednesday, (25/01), are not at all encouraging. After a few months paralyzed, the companhia said it will continue like this for about two more years, due to low sugarcane productivity. She also points out that there will be a subsequent decision-making process regarding the future of ethanol production at the plant, but, for now, it will remain paralyzed.
Raízen does not intend to resume ethanol production at the Santa Helena plant in the next 2 years, due to the low productivity of the raw material
The month of November 2022 marked the indefinite shutdown of the Santa Helena plant, owned by the company Raízen, which sent the plant's raw material to other stations.
A few months after the decision was taken, the energy company returned to talk about the matter, noting that it still has no plans for the future of the plant.
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According to her, Santa Helena should remain paralyzed for the next two years, due to the low productivity of sugarcane in the region.
Information about the continuation of the stoppage of ethanol production was disclosed by the company's industrial director, Juliano Oliveira.
He pointed out that in the Piracicaba hub — which is where the plant is located and which also includes the São Francisco, Rafard and Costa Pinto units — a significant discrepancy was identified between the amount of sugarcane available and the crushing capacity.
As a result, the entire ethanol production chain at the Santa Helena plant ended up being harmed, leading to the decision to shut it down.
“We have a mix of 70% third-party cane and 30% own cane over there, while Raízen as a whole is 50% to 50%. As we had this raw material deficit, we opted to hibernate Santa Helena and, with the volume we have, we were able to grind calmly inside the pole's three bioparks”, he points out.
The company held internal discussions about the future of ethanol production at the Santa Helena plant, but hibernation was still the most accepted decision
The director of Raízen also stated that, recently, there were internal discussions about the progress of the plant and the future of ethanol production in Santa Helena.
However, the most sensible decision in the view of internal representatives is to maintain hibernation for at least another two years.
“If we manage to see opportunities, both to buy sugarcane and to synergize with other groups, or anything that reactivates Santa Helena, we will come back with it,” he said.
Raízen does not rule out the possibility of resuming ethanol production at the plant, but it needs the right raw material productivity conditions for that.
In this way, Santa Helena will remain intact, without modifications, until a more favorable scenario is installed in the region.
The company believes it is possible to find favorable conditions to resume operations at the site after a few years of hibernation.
For now, the stoppage of ethanol production at the Santa Helena plant is still the most favorable scenario for Raízen's operations.
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