Splash247: CMPC advances $370m Brazilian pulp terminal with federal land deal

Published by Splash247

Chilean pulp and paper group CMPC has secured the federal land needed for a $370m private-use terminal at Brazil’s Port of Rio Grande, clearing another key hurdle for a project being developed with Neltume Ports.

CMPC said the concession covers its planned Terminal Rio Grande do Sul at Ponta Sul do Porto Novo. The terminal is being developed through a joint venture with Neltume, with Sagres lined up as operator.

The project calls for two ship berths, two barge berths and a 59,000 sq m covered warehouse able to store 220,000 tonnes of pulp. Designed capacity is 4.6m tonnes a year, with the facility intended to handle the growth in CMPC’s pulp exports from southern Brazil through the end of the decade.

CMPC currently routes around 90% of its pulp exports from Rio Grande do Sul through the public Port of Rio Grande, equal to roughly 1.85m tonnes a year. The company said it occupies around 60% of the port’s covered storage area, making the dedicated terminal central to its plan to lift export volumes towards 4.6m tonnes by 2030.

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

The terminal already has its preliminary environmental licence. CMPC said the next regulatory step is securing the installation licence required before construction can start.