Sep. 5, 2017 – Fibria, a Brazilian producer of eucalyptus pulp, says it has advanced the operational startup of its new mill at Três Lagoas in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, three weeks ahead of schedule.
The company’s second pulp production line was originally slated to become operational the first half of September.
The result of investments totalling R$7.5 billion, Fibria’s second mill in Três Lagoas will have production capacity of 1.95 million tonnes of eucalyptus pulp per year. Combined with the first unit, the company will have a production capacity of 3.25 million tonnes of pulp per year, which it says will make Fibria’s operation in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul one of the largest pulp mills in the world.
Including all other units of the company — Aracruz in Espírito Santo state, Jacareí in São Paulo state, and Eunápolis in Bahia state, where it operates Veracel — Fibria has total production capacity of 7.25 million tonnes of pulp a year, which consolidates its global leadership in the sector.
“In this period spanning slightly over two years, we finished the world’s largest single line pulp mill ahead of schedule and bellow budget, which proves the commitment demonstrated by the entire team to increasing productivity, reducing costs and always delivering the best, with safety and respect to people and the environment. The startup of our second plant at Três Lagoas represents the start of a new phase for the company, consolidating our global leadership in the industry,” said Marcelo Castelli, CEO.
Over the last 27 months, the project created approximately 40,000 jobs.
Fibria’s new unit at Três Lagoas boasts a series of innovations in construction, operations, industrial and forestry processes. One highlight is the automated nursery for eucalyptus seedlings, the “greatest technological innovation the field of forestry in recent years,” describes Fibria. To meet the demand for 43 million seedlings a year, specialists from the company travelled to the Netherlands to learn about the technology used in flower production. Based on the lessons learned, they devised a strategy to create what they say is the world’s first fully automated eucalyptus seedling nursery.
Fibria’s automated nursery is equipped with technologies, such as automated irrigation, enabling detailed control of plant handling and nutrition, and a private weather station that automatically opens and closes retractable roofs depending on the climate, providing added protection to seedlings in the most sensitive phase. The station also measures the intensity of solar energy in the nursery for improved water control.
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