CMPC Secures Preliminary Environmental License for $5 Billion Natureza Pulp Project in Brazil

Chilean forestry and pulp producer CMPC has received a Preliminary License (LP) from the Rio Grande do Sul State Environmental Protection Foundation (FEPAM) for its proposed Natureza project in Brazil, marking a key milestone in the project's environmental licensing process.

The project involves an estimated investment of BRL 27 billion (approximately $5 billion) and is described by CMPC as the largest foreign investment in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Natureza is designed to have an annual production capacity of 2.5 million tonnes of hardwood pulp. According to the company, the project is intended to strengthen its production scale, operational efficiency and competitiveness in the global pulp industry.

The Preliminary License allows CMPC to advance to the next stages of the environmental licensing process. However, further work remains before the project can proceed through the remaining regulatory steps.

CMPC said it would continue engaging with local communities and institutions through dialogue and collaboration as the process moves forward.

The licensing milestone represents a significant development in CMPC's plans for its Brazilian operations, although the company has not provided further details in the announcement regarding construction timelines or the expected start of production.