CMPC Secures Federal Land for $370 Million Pulp Terminal in Brazil

Chilean pulp and paper group CMPC has secured the federal land needed to develop a $370 million private-use pulp terminal at Brazil’s Port of Rio Grande, advancing a project being developed with Neltume Ports.

The planned Terminal Rio Grande do Sul at Ponta Sul do Porto Novo is being developed through a joint venture between CMPC and Neltume, with Sagres set to operate the facility.

The project will include two ship berths, two barge berths and a 59,000-square-metre covered warehouse with capacity to store 220,000 tonnes of pulp. The terminal is designed to handle 4.6 million tonnes of pulp a year.

CMPC said the facility is intended to support growth in its pulp exports from southern Brazil through the end of the decade. The company currently routes about 90% of its pulp exports from Rio Grande do Sul through the public Port of Rio Grande, equivalent to approximately 1.85 million tonnes annually.

CMPC also occupies about 60% of the port’s covered storage area, making the dedicated terminal a central part of its plan to increase export volumes toward 4.6 million tonnes by 2030.

The land transfer follows a federal adhesion contract signed earlier this year that allows Terminal Rio Grande do Sul to develop the private-use facility. Brazil’s port ministry said the project includes two vessel berths, two barge berths and dedicated pulp storage.

The terminal has already received its preliminary environmental licence. CMPC said it must next obtain the installation licence required before construction can begin.